


Incedendo

by shannyfish



Series: Memoria Damnum [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hypnotism, Memory Loss, Mention of Non-Con/Rape, Natasha is a fic ninja, POV Natasha Romanov, POV Obadiah Stane, POV Pepper Potts, POV Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Feels, Post-Iron Man 3, Protective Natasha Romanov, Stark Tower, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Violation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-06
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-28 14:25:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/992937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shannyfish/pseuds/shannyfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bits and pieces of the past are starting to fall into place…  Shocking events hidden from Tony and Pepper are revealed…  And Obadiah Stane isn’t done with either of them yet!  Takes place after “Iron Man 3”.  Fifth and final in the “Memoria Damnum” Series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Incedendo

**Author's Note:**

> The first TWO scenes take place between the end of “Iron Man 3” and before the additional ending post-credits scene with Bruce and Tony. Also, I figured that Tony fixing Pepper is going to take some time, so that’ll take place in this story as well. The ‘I fixed Pepper’ bit seemed a little too quick fix. For the first time in the series, we’ll get some Tony POV. He’s more active in this story, so I felt like it was needed. Natasha also sneaks into the fic and gets POV scenes.
> 
> Sorry it's taken so long! It's a lot longer than I had anticipated and hopefully it's worth the wait and the read! For those of you who haven't checked out my blog, I am currently Mac-less...so let's just hope that it turns back on in a couple of days and works. Or else I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the other stories worked on in the meantime! 
> 
> Constructive criticism is as always appreciated! Check out my blog on my writing at shannyfish11 (dot) blogspot (dot) com

“The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.”

 

. . .

 

“You’re pushing yourself too much.”

 

“I can’t just not do anything.”

 

Tony sighed. “Pep, you’re going to be fine. You’ve been fine all this time… You’ve been stable… I’m trying to find a way to fix you, to flush Extremis from your system.”

 

Pepper stared at him and couldn’t contain her tears. As much as things had been better and beautiful between them, she felt like there was a darkness growing within her. 

 

“Don’t cry,” Tony whispered as he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and she squeezed her eyes shut.

 

“I’ve been having nightmares again,” she confessed.

 

He kissed the side of her head as he continued to hold her in the safety of his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.

 

“They aren’t the same,” she admitted. For a while right after they’d relocated to Manhattan she had nightmares about falling into fire and being on fire. The Extremis virus inside of her scared her so much that she still found herself terrified when Tony got too close.

 

“Tell me about them.”

 

“I don’t even know what they’re about… They’re like flashes that don’t make sense… But I can feel terror…” Pepper tried to explain. “I wake up and you’re not there… I know you’re trying to get rid of Extremis, but I think doing something…being CEO of Stark Industries will help me… Maybe at least I won’t think about it so much.”

 

Pepper had been doing some work, but not her normal full workload. There had been so much to worry about there being stress on her. The truth was that she was more stressed out with doing nothing. Everyday she knew how far behind she was with things. It just didn’t sit well with her. 

 

“Maybe if you tell me about the flashes it will help,” Tony said and pressed his head to hers.

 

“I keep seeing people drinking and talking, but not their faces,” Pepper told him. “And they’re sad… I don’t know how I know they’re sad, but I do… It’s almost depressing…”

 

“But you don’t know why?”

 

“No,” she said. “And then I think it’s me in the bottom of the shower… The water is hitting me and I’m crying… And I know the shower from the Malibu house,” Pepper continued. “The tiles I can see are the same as the ones from our bathroom there.”

 

Tony frowned and hugged her a bit tighter. He kissed her temple. “Why don’t you stay in the tower? I won’t go over to the Baxter Building.”

 

“Isn’t Bruce supposed to be in town?”

 

“Yeah,” Tony confirmed. “Like a day or two. We can play up in R&D.”

 

“Please only on the floors that are for you.”

 

“Are you afraid we’re going to blow something up?”

 

“Always,” Pepper replied seriously. “I worry about that when you use a blender.”

 

“That’s fair,” Tony responded with a shrug. “Especially if DUM-E or one of the others are involved.” He kissed her temple again. “And Bruce will be here… He tends to keep me from blowing stuff up…for the most part.”

 

“Maybe he should visit you more often,” Pepper told him with a small smile. She kept running through the flashbacks over and over again in her head. It just made things so much more confusing. Why were these flashes hitting her? And why now?

 

“Let’s go out tonight,” Tony suggested. “We really haven’t done that since we got here. We can get dressed up and just have a good time. What do you say?”

 

Pepper looked up at him and she just smiled back at him before ducking her head and wrapping her arms around him. How she loved him. She knew he was trying to take her mind off of things, but she wasn’t sure that was the answer. “I guess so,” she whispered.

 

“We can get ready right now, I’ll call and make reservations, and then we’ll be home early enough.”

 

“You’re going to make reservations?” Pepper asked, a little surprised. Normally, Tony wouldn’t be one to call in reservations. Either she would or they’d just show up, which she hated doing, but since they were ‘Tony Stark’ and ‘Pepper Potts’ they didn’t have to wait for a table anywhere. 

 

“It’s more like a head’s up at this point,” he admitted.

 

Pepper turned and kissed him; it was brief, but beautiful nonetheless. “I’ll get dressed…”

 

“Do I need to wear anything in particular?”

 

Her hand went to the middle of his chest and rested where the arc reactor once had been. It was still a little odd that it wasn’t there anymore. “Clothing,” she told him with a smirk. “For now anyways,” Pepper added a moment later before moving away from him.

 

“I don’t have to have it on now,” he told her as he followed.

 

Pepper peeked over her shoulder at him. He was unbuttoning his shirt. “Dinner first,” she insisted.

 

“We could order in,” Tony suggested.

 

“I was going to change, remember?”

 

“It doesn’t have to be on for long—“

 

“Tony,” she scolded as she shook her head. Pepper disappeared into the walk-in closet. 

 

“What?”

 

She continued to shake her head as she looked through her wardrobe. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her neck. “Can you really blame me?” Tony asked.

 

“I thought you were going to get ready…”

 

He let out a long sigh. “I guess…if you insist.”

 

“Oh, I insist,” Pepper told him with a smile. He sounded defeated, which made her all the more amused.

 

. . .

 

“Bruce is coming today,” she whispered as she lay in bed with Tony. The night before had been nice…they’d felt normal… It had been nice to feel like things were close to how they used to be. Her hand was on his chest and she was cuddled in close to him. JARVIS had just announced the time, their wake up call.

 

Pepper wasn’t ready to get up though. She really didn’t want to leave bed at all. It was an idea…but she knew that there was just too much that needed to be done. They had to get up. She had to get up.

 

“He’s already here,” Tony replied with a yawn. “He’s been crashed on the couch for hours.”

 

“When?”

 

“I tried to be quiet. His flight changed, so I told him to grab a taxi and JARVIS let him in.”

 

“I suppose that really means we have to get up then,” she stated with disappointment. She’d woken up once in the middle of the night, but had been quiet. She hadn’t wanted to wake Tony. He’d been in bed then. Pepper knew that he’d just worry more. So, she’d just lie there and had occasionally checked the time on her phone. She’d lost over four hours of sleep.

 

He was looking at her full of concern and she wondered if she was that easy to read. “God, Pep… Did you sleep?”

 

“Some,” she admitted truthfully.

 

“The same nightmares?” Tony questioned and pulled her closer until her head was on his chest.

 

“No,” Pepper whispered. She closed her eyes. “The one about Obadiah…” She’d had this nightmare before, but it had since gone away. She’d always found it confusing and unsettling. She and Obadiah had never been exceptionally close, so it always really threw her for a loop when she had nightmares or dreams with him in them. Pepper still got shaken at how quick Obadiah had been to betray and go after them all.

 

“He can’t hurt you—“

 

“I know,” she responded. Pepper felt silly dwelling on it or being upset by it, but she couldn’t help it. “I know.”

 

“We can stay in bed all day if you want,” Tony offered. A few moments later, he added. “We can make Bruce CEO for the day…”

 

Pepper laughed. “That’s awfully tempting, but I think my job is a little too high stress for Bruce.”

 

“He’s got it under control,” Tony told her with confidence.

 

“Well, he can handle you,” Pepper teased.

 

“See,” he replied. “That’s a testament to his level of control right there.”

 

“Maybe tolerate is a better descriptor than ‘handle’,” Pepper amended.

 

“Cute.”

 

“You never call me that,” she continued to tease.

 

He took her into his arms tighter and kissed her. He kissed her like it was the last thing he would ever do. There was passion and love and lust. And Pepper was starting to think they really weren’t going to be leaving bed. Tony’s hand slipped between her thighs and his mouth covered hers again, which was really proving her point that they weren’t leaving bed. 

 

“Tony,” she said, trying to keep her voice level and calm even though his fingers were already playing with her clit. It really wasn’t easy to focus on anything except Tony’s fingers. “You promised—“ Her sentence was cut off by a moan and her sudden need to adjust herself for him.

 

“What did I promise?” he asked with a grin as he stared right at her.

 

Damn him.

 

Pepper wiggled against his touch. She wanted him so badly now…but she’d tried to focus on the fact that they both needed to get up and out of bed. “Tony,” she spoke, but it came out sounding desperate rather than calm and serious.

 

He didn’t stop.

 

His mouth was covering hers as his fingers entered her slowly, one at first and then a second. A moan escaped her lips and was trapped in a kiss. Her hips were moving with Tony and his free hand moved up to her breasts.

 

They really were never going to leave bed.

 

“The time is now seven-thirty and neither of you have left bed,” JARVIS announced.

 

“We’re busy, JARVIS,” Tony spoke up.

 

“Ms. Potts has quite a busy calendar today, Sir.”

 

“Shut up, JARVIS!” Pepper pushed out as Tony’s mouth left hers and moved to one of her nipples. Her body was so close and she was so wet and hot and turned on. Tony was horrible, but he was absolutely breathtakingly fabulous at the same time.

 

“No need to be so rude,” JARVIS said before going quiet.

 

She barely registered Tony’s laugh as she felt her walls clenching around Tony’s fingers and pulsating. Her back arched and she moaned. Her body was all a buzz with waves of pleasure and she didn’t think that Tony was done.

 

And he wasn’t.

 

Tony rolled her carefully until she was underneath him; his fingers never left her body. He’d kept up his pace and his thumb started circles on her clit. Pepper opened herself as wide as she could for him. Tony was doing beautiful things with his fingers, but she wanted him inside of her. 

 

“Tony,” she moaned, but his mouth covered hers. When his fingers withdrew from her, she whimpered into the kiss and moved her hips towards him. Pepper moaned again as he slowly entered her. He started slow at first and then gradually increased his speed. 

 

Pepper’s arms wrapped around him and brought him down to her. Their bodies were pressed together as Tony kept his pace. He moaned into her ear and she followed. Her lips were on his shoulder and up his neck as she gripped him tighter. 

 

He covered her face with kisses and ran fingers through her hair. “Love you, Pep,” he said in a low voice. His words were broken, but Pepper knew that was because he was getting close.

 

She opened her mouth to tell him that she loved him, but a moan escaped instead as her body shook as pleasure overtook her. “Tony!” she screamed as she held on tight to him as he continued to thrust into her. Her walls were trying to clamp down on him, but Tony kept it up and felt like he somehow was deeper.

 

Tony’s hands were on her breasts and one started to play with her nipples as his mouth moved to her neck. His every touch was sending shivers and feelings of electricity shooting through her body. He followed her a moment later. “Pepper,” poured out of his mouth as he continued to move inside of her, although much slower.

 

Pepper really didn’t want to leave bed now. When Tony finally stilled, he still held her close. They lay in bed in silence for a while before Tony started to kiss her.

 

“I didn’t expect you to get so loud,” he whispered. “I’m sure Bruce heard you…and anyone else in the building.”

 

Blush filled her face before she pressed it against his shoulder. Pepper really hadn’t been thinking about how Bruce was crashed on the couch. “Tony…” she whispered.

 

He laughed. “All the walls in our suite are soundproof.”

 

Pepper smacked him lightly. She thought they were all soundproof. She wasn’t amused with Tony trying to scare her like that. Pepper was sure that Bruce knew that they slept together in all senses of the word. To Pepper, though, she felt like their intimate moments should be private. They got so little privacy as it was being slapped all over the media. This one thing was just theirs and that’s how it was supposed to be. 

 

Tony’s hands were caressing her cheek and running through her hair. “There’s a reason I never call you ‘cute’,” Tony told her. She’d almost forgotten about their previous conversation. “It’s because you’re the most absolutely gorgeously beautiful woman in the world, Pepper,” he whispered and then kissed her. “Words like ‘gorgeous’ and ‘beautiful’ aren’t even good enough, but they’re the best I have because words just can’t describe you.”

 

It had taken her breath away and Pepper just stared at him, at a loss for words. She was running over the lovely things he’d just said and was trying to come up with a response. Pepper opened her mouth when JARVIS interrupted.

 

“Mr. Stark. Ms. Potts,” JARVIS’ voice filled the room again. “I must insist that you leave your bed.”

 

Tony groaned. “Who programmed you to be so annoying?”

 

“Ms. Potts, Sir.”

 

Pepper beamed at Tony. “It’s obviously my fault,” she told him. “You were never so hard to get out of bed until I moved in.”

 

“Pep—“

 

“JARVIS, what’s the time?”

 

“Eight-fifteen and I’ve already pushed all of your appointments and meetings back an hour,” JARVIS announced.

 

“Good man,” Tony said.

 

Pepper glared at Tony for a moment. “I had an eight o’clock appointment.”

 

“So?”

 

“With Happy—“

 

“So tell him the truth!”

 

She smacked him again. “Tony Stark, do you tell Happy or Bruce about—“

 

“No! No! No!” Tony told her quickly. He kissed her forehead. “Never when it comes to you, Pep.”

 

And she was glad to hear that. It brought some relief. She got out of bed and headed for the shower. “I’m still blaming you, though,” Pepper told him as she looked over her shoulder. Tony was trailing behind her. She really wasn’t sure if showering together was going to help to ensure that they both got up and got things going though.

 

To her surprise, Tony didn’t try to start anything, which was good or else JARVIS would likely reschedule or cancel all of her meetings for the day. They’d exchanged kisses and Tony had gotten out and let her finish her shower in peace.

 

Wrapped in a towel, she walked out to find their bed was made and the clothes that had been stripped down in haphazard fashion the night before had been picked up and put away. She appreciated it. Though Tony had all kinds of money and could afford to employ ‘household staff’, it wasn’t needed. In Malibu, there was a cleaning crew that would clean every so many days, though Tony was always trying to give those jobs to his robots.

 

“Good?” Tony asked as he buttoned up his shirt. This was something he’d started since the move to Manhattan. He always wore a suit and tie even if he wasn’t going to be working per se.

 

“Do you mind if I skip breakfast?” Tony asked. They usually always had breakfast together even if it was held in her office. “I was going to take Bruce out for something more substantial than coffee.”

 

“I thought you weren’t going to leave Stark Tower?!”

 

“I’m just going to head down to the café,” Tony replied. “I can bring you something if you want.”

 

“Brunch?”

 

“Brunch could be fun,” he said cheerily.

 

“Only on weekends after we’ve spent the whole morning in bed and actually missed the standard time slot for breakfast.”

 

Tony pouted at her. “You’re not mad, right?”

 

Pepper kissed him and smiled. “No, I just wanted to make sure I knew where you’d be. Plus, I’ll probably just have coffee or something since I’m already behind in my day. He won’t need any further explanation past ‘It’s Tony’s fault’. She smiled brighter. “For all he knows you could have broken the shower because one of the jets was clogged.”

 

“I take offense to the term ‘broken’,” he said seriously. “I simply took it apart that one time and it didn’t go back together the same.”

 

“Luckily, the house wasn’t flooded.”

 

“I was smart and turned off the water before I did it.”

 

“Now if you’d just remember to cut the power first on other projects,” Pepper teased.

 

“I thought you were late for a meeting?”

 

“I thought you were leaving first,” Pepper countered. He pulled her to him and kissed her temple before moving to her lips. His arms wrapped around her and the kiss continued. Pepper finally broke it and took a step back. “You’re supposed to go,” she told him. If they continued they’d end up back in bed.

 

“Maybe I changed my mind,” Tony replied. He reached out and ran his hand along her arm. “Maybe spending the day in bed is a better option.”

 

“Tony—“

 

“Can you really blame me?” Tony asked. “I have the most breathtakingly stunning wife in the world…”

 

Pepper blushed and then shook her head. “Wife requires marriage,” Pepper pointed out. She was certain that Tony would have ran in the opposite direction at the word ‘marriage’ only a few years before.

 

“We could do that.”

 

“You usually get engaged first,” Pepper added.

 

“Maybe I’m getting to it…”

 

She beamed. “Oh really?”

 

“Sure…”

 

“You don’t sound too sure.”

 

“If I proposed… Would you say ‘yes’?”

 

“Maybe,” Pepper teased. She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “We’re having dinner together, right?”

 

“Right,” he said quickly. “With Bruce. He’s off to some other random place in the morning I think…or SHIELD…which I guess counts as a random place.”

 

“Be good,” Pepper said firmly and gave him a look before it melted back into a smile.

 

“Always.”

 

Since Tony was dragging things out, Pepper made her exit first. She found Bruce sitting on the couch and gave him a smile and a ‘hello’ before getting into the elevator and heading for her office.

 

. . .

 

“You’re a workaholic, you know.”

 

Pepper stared at him for a long moment. “You’re one to talk.”

 

“What? I tinker…not quite the same,” Tony defended. 

 

“You could help with some of the paperwork,” Pepper suggested. “Then I wouldn’t be in my office so late…”

 

“Or I could just visit your office,” he told her as she moved to sit with him on the couch. Bruce had been gone for a couple of days and Tony hadn’t seemed as perky as he had when Bruce was there. She knew that he liked having someone else who understood what he was talking about when he was tinkering. Some of it, she got, but not every bit of it. 

 

Pepper wrapped her arm around him as she sat down on his lap. She tugged her skirt up just a bit, so that she was more comfortable. Tony seemed to take that as a sign to set his hand on her knee and move his fingers right above the hem of her skirt. “I feel like we’d get less done.”

 

“That’s not always a bad thing,” he told her before kissing her.

 

She returned the kiss before laughing lightly. Gently, Pepper pushed him back just a bit. “It is when you have as much to do as I have… You know, you know…we could both run the company together.”

 

“You know how I am…”

 

“I could train you…”

 

“What have you been doing all these years?”

 

“Obviously not being tough enough…”

 

Tony grinned at her. “Ooooo you could be rougher with me…” He moved his hand up her leg and then was smacked. 

 

“You’d like that too much,” she teased and rolled her eyes. “Speaking of not working enough—“

 

“Let’s not start when we could talk about other things,” Tony said as he pushed his hand up her leg again. 

 

Pepper sighed. “Tony, you promised you’d go through the data from the Malibu server that had been saved to the cloud…”

 

“JARVIS imported it on my server here… It’s not taking up room on the company’s server or cloud…”

 

“That’s besides the point,” Pepper told him as she leaned in closer and rested her head against his. “You promised to clear it up…”

 

“I’ll get to cleaning out the files…”

 

“Tony—“

 

“Tomorrow,” he told her as he traced invisible lines on her knee.

 

“Why are you avoiding it?”

 

“Why are you pushing me to do it?”

 

“It has to be done and you keep promising you’ll do it…”

 

“I’ve been tinkering…”

 

“Building new suits?”

 

Tony shrugged. “Only one.”

 

“One?” Pepper asked. She’d expected that he’d have a hidden army somewhere in their tower. Even though Tony promised to downgrade on his projects, she still deep down hoped that he was working on something. 

 

“I don’t really need more, right?”

 

“You haven’t even been in a suit since we settled in here,” Pepper pointed out. “Unless you’ve done it and I don’t know about it.”

 

“No, I just haven’t felt up to it,” Tony said. “The second suit is just to be prepared.”

 

“You know just because you don’t have the arc reactor anymore,” she said as she ran her hand over where it used to be in his chest. “It doesn’t mean that you’re not still Iron Man…” He looked at her and Pepper thought he looked sad. He almost looked lost. “I don’t expect you to be here all the time… I mean, I appreciate you staying in the tower the last few days…”

 

“You’re still having nightmares.”

 

Pepper smiled at him and caressed his cheek. He was so sweet. “You can’t just stop your life because I’m having nightmares…”

 

“I’ve been working on solving the Extremis problem,” Tony told her. 

 

Pepper studied him. “I thought that you’d solved it?” Tony had given her something after they’d had dinner with Bruce. Something that he and Bruce had perfected. Or at least that’s what she’d been told. She’d trusted it and she’d even tested it, Extremis hadn’t worked. She hadn’t been afraid of touching Tony or hurting anyone or destroying anything… Her nightmares had turned to flashes and Obadiah… But here she was now thinking about the fire she’d fallen into again. “You fixed me…”

 

“What I gave you… I thought it worked,” Tony said. “But it’s just a band-aid.” He was quiet as he ducked his head. “Bruce has still been working on it. And Reed Richards. We’re all trying to make it permanent.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked as tears fell from her eyes. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying. Maybe it was because she was upset and confused and thought she was safe. Maybe it was just a lot to take in. That she was overwhelmed. Pepper didn’t know for sure.

 

“Hey, hey…” Tony said. “I just…I didn’t want to keep it from you any longer…” He moved on the couch so that he was fully facing her and cupped her cheeks as he stared at her. “Being Iron Man…working on Extremis…all of it, I do it for you… You’re my life, Pep…”

 

“There’s more to life, Tony…”

 

“No.”

 

She smiled sweetly at him. Pepper didn’t want him to give up everything to her or feel chained to her. The only way she wanted to be ‘chained’ to him was by marriage, if they ever got to that point. “I love you, Tony,” she told him with her full heart. More tears fell from her eyes. “And if the world ends, you know I’ll be right there by your side doing all I can do to help you…” She put her hands over his. “Don’t stop being Iron Man because of me… I’m happy with you being Iron Man…” She laughed and looked down for a moment. “Maybe not everything… I hate seeing you beaten and bloody…and I really am not too thrilled about being used against you… But I don’t want you to stop being you, Tony…”

 

“Pep—“

 

“If we can’t fix Extremis, then we’ll just figure things out…” She smiled at him. “I can work through the nightmares… Maybe I just need to get myself a psychologist…”

 

“Talking to someone really doesn’t help,” Tony told her seriously. “They fall asleep and miss all the good details…” She looked at him with confusion, but he waved it off. “Never mind, just…I don’t want you to be scared of living either… I never meant to drag you into this dark world that it seems like I created…”

 

“It’s not dark…and you didn’t create it.” She leaned in and kissed him gently and full of love. “It was already there. I think you just lived in your own world for too long… Maybe reality is just hitting you…” 

 

. . .

 

It was another beautiful new day and Tony knew that he needed to work on cleaning out the files that had migrated over from the Malibu House server. It really wasn’t anything he was thrilled about, but he’d do it anyway. After all, he didn’t want to incur the wrath of Pepper. That was far more frightening than anything else he’d faced in his life.

 

“JARVIS, file all of the Iron Man and associated suit designs under one file,” Tony said and hoped that would take care of a large portion of the files. 

 

“Do you have a specific title for the file, Sir?”

 

“Just call it ‘The Cellar’,” Tony told him. That’s what the army, his Iron Legion, had been codenamed. It seemed fitting and he really didn’t want to have to think of anything more creative.

 

“How would you like the files organized?” JARVIS asked.

 

“Chronologically is fine,” Tony replied as he looked over the holographic visual of all of the older files. The armor files were only twenty-five percent of the files. There was still so much to go through. He knew that most of it needed to be saved; it was just about organizing it. “Any files from before I returned to Afghanistan…weapons…everything,” Tony said. “Label it ‘giant mistakes’.”

 

“As you wish, Sir.”

 

It was weird looking at his life like this. There were achievements in places of his life where he knew he could have done better. There was destruction and alcohol where he could have done something greater to give to the world…and all of those years Pepper was right in front of him. He could have had so much more time with her. Had he been poor and destitute? No, his weapons designs had made him and his company rich. It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud of what he’d done rather that now he knew that there was so much more that he was capable of and so much more in life.

 

That took care of the majority of the files. Other stuff he knew wasn’t so important, but he needed to work on clearing it anyways. “Are the rest all my files?” he questions. He vaguely remembered JARVIS going on about file types and how they belonged to different people. Vaguely since he had been quite busy with Pepper at the time. 

 

“No, Sir,” JARVIS responded. “Two were originally put on the server by Mr. Stane, there are twenty that belong to Ms. Potts, and the rest are yours, Sir.”

 

“What do I have left?”

 

“All of your remaining files are video files, Sir. Shall I just file them away as such?”

 

“Call them ‘home movies’,” Tony said. Then he stopped. “But delete any files that are bedroom home videos where I’m not with Pepper.”

 

“So, all of them, Sir?”

 

“That’s all I have left? Sex tapes?”

 

“There are a few archival videos that were converted to digital,” JARVIS reported. “They include the Stark Expo as well as true family home videos with your parents.”

 

“So, save that stuff.”

 

“Of course, Sir,” JARVIS said. “Now just the other files remain.”

 

“Show me Stane’s files,” Tony requested as he looked them over. The files were actually his. They were weapons he’d designed, but Obadiah had tried to get him to modify them. “File these with the other ‘mistakes’.”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

“Now Pepper’s,” Tony said. “I have permission.”

 

“Of course, Sir.”

 

The twenty files were displayed and nearly all of them were talking notes for him. All, but one. “Get rid of all of the document files,” Tony said and then looked at the final file. It was an audio file and Tony recognized the date as when he’d been held captive. It wasn’t too long before he had come home. He wondered if Pepper had recorded something about missing him, but the file size didn’t seem large enough. Tony suddenly had second thoughts about listening to the file even though Pepper had given him permission.

 

“Shall I play it, Sir?”

 

“Just give me a minute,” Tony said as he stared at the icon of the audio file. It was less than a minute in length. He tried to remind himself that Pepper had given him permission. “Go ahead, JARVIS.”

 

The sound of Pepper’s sobs filled the room. He knew they belonged to her even if the audio hadn’t been marked as hers. It broke his heart and he hadn’t even heard the whole audio recording yet.

 

“JARVIS,” Pepper barely managed to get out between sobs.

 

“Yes, Ms. Potts?”

 

It was then that Tony realized that the voice belonged to Obadiah. His voice was slightly muffled and the banging continued. Pepper sounded even more hysterical each time he banged on it. So, Tony had to assume that Obadiah was the one pounding and that he was probably pounding on a door.

 

Pepper was still sobbing, but she managed to speak up again. “Can you anonymously contact the police and request them just to do a patrol of the area? That there was a report of someone suspicious on the grounds?”

 

“Are you sure that is all you wish to be in the call, Ms. Potts?”

 

“For now,” Pepper whispered. She sounded exhausted. He didn’t know if it was because she’d been crying and was so upset, if she was just absolutely exhausted, or a combination. Tony could still hear Obadiah pounding on the door and shouting her name. He sounded angry. Why would he be angry with Pepper? Why would anybody?

 

“JARVIS,” she just barely whispered. “If Obadiah tries to get in here, you call the police back…and tell them that Obadiah Stane is responsible for Tony Stark’s capture and he assaulted me.”

 

Obadiah told Pepper?! She had never said anything to him. How could she have continued to work with Obadiah? Why hadn’t she had him arrested? Why hadn’t she told Rhodey? Was it because Obadiah had assaulted her? Had he been blackmailing her? Obadiah was dead and gone though, so why hadn’t she told him after Obadiah’s death?

 

It didn’t make sense to him. He listened as JARVIS’ voice tried to get a response from Pepper, but she never responded and then the audio clip ended.

 

“Did Pepper ask you to record that?” Tony asked.

 

“No, Sir,” JARVIS responded. “I record everything that goes on, but only save what is important.”

 

“Was the call ever made to the police?”

 

“I did anonymously contact the police per Ms. Potts’ request in order to have a patrol check the grounds, but not for the second request. Mr. Stane never made it into the bathroom, so per Ms. Potts’ instructions, the authorities were never contacted on that matter,” JARVIS explained. “I retained the audio file just in case it was required for the future.”

 

“Did Pepper ever ask about it or play it?”

 

“No, Sir.”

 

Tony continued to just stare at the image of the audio file. Even if she hadn’t asked about it or listened to it, why hadn’t Pepper ever said anything to him? It just tugged at him and haunted him. Pepper Potts was the only person in the world that Tony trusted most…and now he found out that she’d kept this secret from him. It hurt even more now that they were so close. He’d firmly decided that he was going to make her Mrs. Stark…and then this…

 

. . .

 

His name was Trevor Allen. 

 

At least that’s who everyone thought he was. He’d been happily living in Manhattan since he’d last left seen Pepper. His apartment was nice, not complete luxury, but close enough. He had an absurdly easy job, which paid him well enough to keep his lifestyle and he’d been able to keep his bed warm with the company of women he picked up while out. Nothing serious, of course. They’d all been one-night stands. There was a woman that would be in his bed permanently soon enough…

 

Stark Tower wasn’t far from him and it brought him far too much joy for him to contain in public sometimes at the fact that it now held the object of his lust. Pepper Potts. She was closer than ever before. She had no idea. No idea he was alive, how close he was, how she’d be his, or how she’d already been his. He was certain that Tony had figured out the Extremis virus that Killian had polluted Pepper’s system with. It had been long enough as far as Obadiah was concerned. Tony was supposed to be a genius and Obadiah was sure he had enough genius friends to have figured out the problem.

 

He looked down at the newspaper and smiled at the stocks. Stark Industries was looking better than ever. He really wasn’t minding the growth in his company. It was just the company he wanted in his bed that he missed…that and the fact that Tony Stark was still alive. Obadiah just forced himself to remember that each day he lived as Trevor Allen was another day he had to perfect his plan at returning to Stark Industries. 

 

It wouldn’t be long though.

 

He’d be reborn.

 

. . .

 

Tony lay in bed awake. He’d been torn about how to bring up the audio file that he’d found to Pepper. He’d gone back and forth about reasons why she’d kept it from him and he’d tried to grapple with his own emotions. Was he mad at her? Could he be mad? This was Pepper after all… He didn’t know what had happened between her and Obadiah while he was gone and now his mind kept going through different possibilities… 

 

He sighed as he stared at the letters on the clock next to the bed. It was almost three in the morning and Pepper had been asleep since right after ten. She’d been exhausted from her days’ work and trying to catch up on paperwork. Tony had stared down at her while he’d held her in his arms as she’d relaxed and had tried to think of what to say. He couldn’t bring himself to do it then, she looked too much like an angel. He didn’t want to lose her. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through. There had to be a reasonable explanation as to why she’d kept it from him all this time. There had to be…

 

Tony had worried about what Pepper had meant by ‘assaulted’. She’d been an absolute wreck, that was obvious from the recording. But what had Obadiah done to her? Had he used his position of power? Had Obadiah used her grieving his loss? Did he hit her? Was it something far more insidious? Tony feared for the answer. 

 

He rolled over and stared at her. They were face to face in bed and Pepper was fast asleep. Her long red hair framed her face and fell down her shoulders and back. She was wearing panties and an old shirt of his. She looked so peaceful and he wished that he could just ask her all his questions in her sleep, so that he wouldn’t have to look at her awake as she gave the answers…he still was a little afraid to hear them.

 

But this was Pepper…

 

His head and his heart kept shouting that something had to be wrong. Pepper just wouldn’t keep something like that from him. It was eating at him. He wasn’t going to get any sleep and he felt like he was quickly becoming a nervous wreck. He’d had the arc reactor and shrapnel pulled from his chest and the panic attacks had stopped. He needed to face this head on and he needed to do it sooner rather than later. He just couldn’t cope with it. 

 

“Pep—“ Tony started to say, but then was interrupted by the blaring klaxon of the Stark Tower alarm system. 

 

“Intruder on balcony! Mark forty-three en route, Sir,” JARVIS explained. 

 

. . .

 

JARVIS’ voice was all a blur to Pepper as she sat straight up. The alarm was blaring and emergency lights had come on. She looked over to see Tony, looking very much like he was waiting for his suit and she’d assumed that he’d called it to him. 

 

Who would be able to infiltrate them that high up in Stark Tower? 

 

Pepper moved from bed, still glad in just her panties and one of Tony’s old shirts, and headed out of the bedroom. She heard Tony yell her name, but ignored him. She didn’t know what she was thinking. She really wasn’t thinking at all. Pepper just knew that someone was in their home and she was sick of people blowing them up, threatening them, and trying to kill them. 

 

A glint of silver on the balcony moved her attention to outside. The glass was blown out and sent her flying back. It was then that she noticed that Tony was following and that he his armor was finally making its way to him. It wasn’t fully assembled yet though. Pepper recovered quickly and was barreling towards the assailant. She jumped up and kicked at it before it fully came into view.

 

A bulk silver colored metal suit. A lot like Tony’s ‘Mark I’ or Obadiah’s ‘Iron Monger’. It was crude and whoever was piloting it didn’t seem to have seen her coming. They continued to fight and it moved extremely close to the edge of the balcony. Pepper held onto the arms of the suit and the Extremis inside of her heated up and she glowed a bright orange as her hands started to heat the metal. 

 

A low came from the suit. It was unexpected, but even more unexpected was who was revealed a moment later when the helmet flipped up. Pepper let go and took a step back, just staring all the while. 

 

“Can’t be…” she heard Tony whisper from behind her.

 

Pepper looked over her shoulder briefly to see Tony almost assembled behind her. He was just missing the helmet. He let out a repulsor shot at the intruder. She was still filled was shock. How could it be him? How could he be alive? Was this another nightmare? Was she hallucinating? Was it something completely different? Had she just lost it? Could it be the effects of the Extremis? 

 

Obadiah Stane.

 

That’s whom she’d seen. A man that was supposed to have been dead for years. A man who had tried to kill them years ago. She was pushed down to the ground, he was over her, staring down at her with a horrible grin. “I’ve missed you, Pepper,” he told her. “Don’t worry… I hadn’t planned for this, but we’ll figure something out…and I’ll have you just like before…”

 

For a moment she was still. 

 

Pepper just stared up at him still in shock and then Tony hit Obadiah’s armor again and again. She finally got to her feet and pushed and something that looks like flames came out of her hands. Obadiah disappeared over the edge of the building. She dropped to her knees and stared down at her hands. At first they appeared red and orange and glowing and hot, but then suddenly they returned to their normal pale coloring. She breathed heavily and then tears streamed down her face. She looked up at Tony, full of fear and worry and shock. What had just happened?

 

But what clung to her most was ‘What did Obadiah mean?’.

 

. . .

 

Obadiah cringed as he carefully bandaged his arm. He hadn’t expected Pepper to still have the Extremis virus in her system. Obviously Tony wasn’t as good as Obadiah had taken him for. He’d yet to ‘fix’ Pepper. This was a huge problem. He wasn’t sure how he was going to attain Pepper permanently as his with her still supercharged with Extremis. 

 

His arms were both burned from where Pepper had held onto him and heated the metal of his armor. He also had a couple of bruised ribs from Tony’s shots. It wasn’t anything that he couldn’t recover from. Obadiah had hoped to get in, snatch up Pepper, and flee with her…obviously that hadn’t happened. 

 

Tony and Pepper now both knew that he was alive. 

 

Normally he’d be very upset about his identity being revealed so soon and while it was not part of his plan. He was confident that if they did discover him and his residence that no one would believe them. Obadiah was mainly concerned about Tony; he didn’t think Pepper was going to be on the streets looking for him. 

 

He was well known in the area he lived in and everyone loved him. He’d worked hard over the months in order to be a pillar of the community. Obadiah had concentrated on playing his role as Trevor and ‘rebuilding’ in Manhattan. He volunteered, attended community events, went to church, and spent a lot of time at the local coffee place. 

 

Obadiah pulled on his blue button-up shirt and carefully buttoned it. His cringed as the movements caused pain in his arms. He picked up the large pink bakery box from his kitchen counter and headed out. This was his cover. He’d burned his arms when the cookie sheet slipped from his potholder encased hands and slid onto his arms. The cookies were going to the local woman’s shelter. 

 

After all, he was a good guy.

 

. . .

 

The day after Obadiah appeared back from the dead, everything had seemed to slow down. The day dredged on and Pepper hadn’t been able to fall back asleep, which meant that she’d been running on fumes during the day. Happy had kept close by her, per Tony’s orders, just to make sure that she was kept safe. He’d called him several times asking him if he could just make her leave work and take a nap. It wasn’t what Pepper wanted though. Tony was trying to be respectful, but it was hard.

 

He’d spent the day in the sub-basement of Stark Tower. He hadn’t intended on utilizing it so soon, but it had felt like the best place. A lot of his things had been stored there. Things from Stark Industries in Malibu and things that had been drudged up from the ocean floor had been stored there. Pepper had also had some things that he’d ordered in for the tower that she didn’t like aesthetically put down there. He’d originally put a sub-basement in in case he needed a place to store armor. 

 

Right now, this was his new workshop. Tony was a little disappointed that he hadn’t taken more time and pride in converting the space earlier. He’d managed to get quite a few things brought down there and installed though during the course of the day. At least he could get JARVIS’ help now. 

 

“JARVIS, is there any way that you can look for signs of Obadiah past the point of his death?” Tony questioned.

 

“I’m afraid that I don’t have video surveillance footage, Sir,” JARVIS replied.

 

“Why the hell not?”

 

“It was stored on the physical server at the house, Sir. The one that is currently at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. I believe that Ms. Potts has pointed out several times that you should retrieve it.”

 

Even if he could retrieve the server banks, there was no guarantee that they would work. For all he knew they were blown to hell. And retrieving them and recovering the information, if it was in one piece, would take time. Tony didn’t feel like they had that time to spare. “What about in other places?”

 

“Could you be more specific, Sir?”

 

“I don’t know…the world?”

 

“Are you asking me to access control of SHIELD’s database and satellites?” JARVIS questioned. “Or are you asking me to access Facebook and Tumblr?”

 

Tony sighed and rubbed his face. “I don’t know…all of it? Anything?”

 

“Will you be contacting Director Fury?”

 

“I guess that would be the more direct way to do it,” Tony said as he looked back over at Pepper. She was fast asleep on a couch that he’d loved, but she’d rejected because she thought it was too bulky for their suite. At least it was getting some use and at least she was getting some sleep. The thing that had worried him most was that she’d refused to let him touch her and she’d jumped whenever someone else had tried to touch her, like to shake her hand. Happy had reported that and had been concerned. Tony hadn’t been too surprised, but he didn’t like it.

 

Sighing, he tried to figure out what else they could do. “What about the audio clip? You said that you made an anonymous call to the police that night and they checked the grounds, was any kind of report made?” 

 

“Attempting to access that information, Sir.”

 

So Tony waited. What else could he do? 

 

“Bringing up the police report, Sir,” JARVIS announced. 

 

It was brought up and Tony read it over. The night in question, Obadiah had met the police outside. He’d told him that he was the only one at the house, which he knew was a lie. Obadiah had said that he had been going over and watering houseplants and insuring that the property was intact each day. He never had houseplants. He’d thought about asking Happy, but he didn’t want to have to explain why he was asking before he’d talked to Pepper. It had been such a delicate day that he hadn’t felt it absolutely necessary to bring it up first thing to her. 

 

“So, the police probably never entered the house to check things out,” Tony muttered.

 

“They most likely had no reason to believe that Mr. Stane was deceiving them in any way,” JARVIS explained. 

 

“I just…I don’t like it…any of it,” Tony said, mostly to himself. “Play the audio file again.” He closed his eyes and just listened. He didn’t notice anything new that he hadn’t noticed before. Pepper was hysterical and sobbing and Obadiah was trying to get in and calling her name…and then Pepper just goes silent at the end. 

 

“What is that from?”

 

Tony froze and turned around to see Pepper sitting up on the couch, the blanket that had been over her body was now wrapped around her. He hadn’t wanted to upset her with a bunch of questions not after Obadiah had shown up. It just hadn’t felt right. “It was on the server from Malibu…” Tony explained. “I had meant to ask you about it, but after last night…”

 

“I…I don’t remember that,” she whispered. “It’s me…”

 

“Yes,” Tony confirmed. “JARVIS did a voice match and JARVIS is the one who saved the file. It hasn’t been opened or tampered with.”

 

“When?”

 

“When you thought I was dead… A little bit before I came back,” Tony told her and moved towards her. He studied her and could tell that she was telling him the truth. After all, why would Pepper lie about this? She looked scared and confused. Tony carefully took a seat next to her, but not too close.

 

“But…why don’t I remember?” she asked and tears started to fall from her eyes. She stared at him and Tony had no answers for her. “And I knew that he was behind everything in Afghanistan? How could I just not remember that? Or that he assaulted me? What did he do to me, Tony?” 

 

She almost looked broken for a moment. Only a moment though. Tony decided that he’d respected her space enough today and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t fight it and only went tense for a moment. “Whatever happened, Honey, we’re going to figure it out…”

 

. . .

 

It was suddenly like maybe all her nightmares made sense. The flashes she’d had…where those really just random flashes or were they bits of flashbacks? Was that why she’d been having nightmares about Obadiah? Pepper cuddled closer to Tony. They were both lying on their sides, Tony’s arms wrapped around her, as they lay on the couch in the sub-basement. It felt safer. 

 

But she lay awake and just tried to remember.

 

She didn’t remember though. Whatever memory she had forgotten or hidden away from herself, it wasn’t coming back to her. Whenever she thought about Obadiah though, she was overtaken by a sense of horror, grief, terror, and it made her nearly physically ill. Pepper didn’t know why and that scared her even more.

 

“You need sleep,” he whispered sleepily. He pushed a strand of her hair away from her face and just stared at her like he was studying her.

 

“I can’t—“

 

“You need to sleep, Honey,” Tony insisted. “I’m right here.”

 

“I know,” Pepper whispered. She didn’t know if he realized what a comfort it was to know that he was right there and he wasn’t going to go anywhere. She was quiet for a moment and he didn’t look like he was going to go back to sleep until she did. “What did you think when you first heard that?”

 

“Honestly? I thought that you’d kept two things from me that I knew you wouldn’t keep from me,” Tony explained through a yawn. “And all I wanted to do the whole time was kill Obadiah for whatever he did for you… Apparently, I can actually do that now.” He smiled a moment later.

 

“I don’t know if I want to remember,” she told him honestly.

 

“I really don’t know what to say on that…”

 

“I guess that I’m not sure what to think about it… Really, how could I welcome holes in my memory like that?” Pepper asked. “Maybe it was okay when I didn’t know that there was a hole.”

 

. . .

 

The world wasn’t right. She’d woken up in their suite. Pepper was sure that she’d fallen asleep in the sub-basement on the huge overstuffed couch that Tony insisted was great again. She got out of bed in one of Tony’s shirts and her panties, she slowly walked out of the bedroom. Tony hadn’t been in bed next to her. So, she headed out into the common living space. It was dark, but she didn’t see him.

 

“Tony?” she called. 

 

She looked towards the glass, but it was just pitch black. Pepper walked closer and reached out to the glass. It wasn’t just that it was dark outside; it was that it was absolutely black out there. She couldn’t see the balcony that lay right outside; the black was all the way up to the glass. She laid her hand against the glass and just stared out. There wasn’t anything. No balcony. No buildings. No city lights. No stars. No nothing. Just darkness and blackness. She could see her own reflection in the glass and she just didn’t understand. 

 

“Hello Pepper.”

 

His voice startled her, but his sudden appearance in the reflection in the window that startled her even more. He was standing right behind her. She turned around and found him not too far from her. Pepper moved just a step back so that her back was pressed up against the smooth glass of the window. 

 

“You’re not real…”

 

“You know I am,” Obadiah told her as he took a step towards her. He was dressed in a blue suit and looked very confidant with himself. And she knew now that he wasn’t dead anymore, but why was he here? Again?

 

“This isn’t real…”

 

“Oh, it’s very real, Pepper…”

 

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Pepper said firmly. “Why aren’t you? And why are you here?” She stared at him, studying him. “You said something…”

 

“That I’d have you just like before?” Obadiah asked with a grin.

 

“What did you mean?” 

 

“You don’t remember…” Obadiah told her. “You know there’s something there,” he continued as he closed the distance between them. Obadiah touched her temple. “It’s up here… You know that… You’ve seen flashes… You’ve been thinking about me…”

 

“Not like that!” Pepper spat at him.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Go away!” she screamed as tears fell from her eyes. This couldn’t be real. None of this could be. She was safe with Tony. Tony wouldn’t have moved her up into their suite and just left her…and JARVIS would have announced an intruder in the tower, especially their suite. Nothing was right. This really wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t.

 

Obadiah reached out and caressed her cheek. Pepper screwed her eyes shut and turned her head until her cheek was pressed against the glass. She wanted to fight back. She didn’t feel like she had the strength. She wanted to wake up because she didn’t think any of it was real, but she was still trapped there. His hand moved along her neck and down along the chain of her necklace. Pepper hadn’t even realized that she was wearing it. It was the necklace that Tony had made her; it had a heart and was made from the shrapnel that had been pushing against his heart for so long. 

 

“Isn’t this precious?” Obadiah asked as he played with the chain.

 

“Please…just stop…”

 

Obadiah’s fingers continued to play with the chain and Pepper just wished to wake up. He gripped the center of it and tugged lightly on it at first, the chain and the bits of the shrapnel cut at her. He gripped it tighter and yanked, she felt her neck being sliced in places and let out a scream. She turned her head and opened her eyes. Obadiah was grinning at her with the necklace still clutched in his hand. 

 

“Don’t worry, Pepper,” Obadiah said. “We’ll be seeing each other soon enough…”

 

. . .

 

Things were quiet. Pepper had been a mess and kept having nightmares. She didn’t want to sleep. Tony was worried out of his mind about her. He also didn’t know what else he could do. Stark Tower was pretty much on lockdown as much as that could be done while still running the company. Happy kept an eye on Pepper during the day and made sure that security was where it was supposed to be. 

 

At night, they’d lock themselves down in the sub-basement. Tony had actually had a proper bed put down there. One corner of the sub-basement was the basics of a bedroom, but none of it was making Pepper feel any better. Or at least he didn’t think it was. She was still having nightmares where she woke screaming. She still tried to stay awake as long as possible until she just crashed from pure exhaustion. 

 

All of it made him felt useless. He slept all day long, so that he could stay up all night and be there whenever Pepper woke from her nightmare. There was nothing he could tinker to make it better for her. The woman he loved… 

 

“We can’t keep doing this,” she whispered.

 

“I’ll do it as long as it takes,” Tony replied.

 

Pepper reached out and touched his face gently. “We’re all exhausted…”

 

“I sent Fury the footage from the tower. In case he wasn’t quite believing my story,” Tony told her. “He said he’ll get back to me, but who knows how long that’ll be. JARVIS is working on accessing SHIELD’s systems, but who knows how long it’ll take.”

 

“Longer than you’re likely to approve of, Sir,” JARVIS spoke up.

 

He watched as Pepper smiled a little. It had been a couple of days since he’d seen that smile. Maybe it was because they’d holed up in the tower or maybe it was because she was so scared. He was scared. Tony just wished he could make things all better for her, but he knew that he couldn’t. 

 

“We need to just start living our life,” Pepper said. “More cautious and knowing that he’s still alive and out there… That he’s still going to come for us…”

 

“Pep—“

 

“We’ve done the whole lockdown thing before, Tony… You and I just can’t stay sane that way,” Pepper told him. She kissed him and pressed her forehead against his. He closed his eyes and just loved being close to her. “Tomorrow… I’m going to go out. Happy will go with me, but I’m not going to have him in full security mode…”

 

. . .

 

“Pepper, you know that I promised Tony that I’d stick with you,” Happy told her. This was about the fifth time she’d heard it that morning.

 

“I just want to shop,” Pepper told him. “You don’t like to go shopping with me.”

 

“Sure I do,” Happy said.

 

Pepper stopped and eyed him. This wasn’t Malibu; he couldn’t just park and sit outside in the car. This required walking and actually escorting her into the stores. This required him helping her with bags if he was really sticking to his promise to Tony. This was really something that needed to be done with a female companion that could double as a guard. She really did know Happy well enough to know that she wasn’t going to actually get anything done that she’d planned if Happy insisted on keeping her company. After all, she’d been feeling like she was losing her mind staying in Stark Tower all that time and she just needed some retail therapy. 

 

“No, you don’t,” Pepper argued. “You’re fine with the lunch later aspect, but not the walking and the shopping with lots of bags filled with pink tissue paper…”

 

“Look at what you’re wearing,” Happy said as he motioned to her heels. “Do you really expect me to believe that you’re going to walk all over Manhattan in those? We’re only going a couple of blocks.”

 

Pepper sighed. “Happy, how long have you known me?”

 

“Why?”

 

“In all that time, have you seen me in any other type of footwear than heels?” 

 

“…crap.”

 

Pepper just stared at him with a smile. “I promise that you can park at the coffee shop and we’ll meet for lunch at noon,” Pepper told him. “And I won’t say a thing to Tony…” She could see Happy contemplating it. She just hoped that he’d go for it. After all, she would be fine to shop on her own.

 

“I really…I don’t think I should do that,” Happy told her. “I promised Tony and—“

 

“Happy, I really just need this day… I don’t want to argue with you or hear you complain…” Pepper went on. She wanted to be clear because she knew how much she really needed to just get out and forget everything that had been happening. She knew that Tony had Happy along in case there was an issue, mainly with paparazzi more than anything else. They hadn’t had any problems and it wasn’t like she didn’t know what to do, Tony just had hoped it would help making things stress free. 

 

“No, I really should stay with you…we just are going to have to keep it down to two blocks,” Happy told her.

 

Staring at him didn’t seem to be helping anything. “Fine,” she sighed. “Can you at least get me a coffee and I’ll get us a table?” Pepper asked as she motioned to the nearby coffee shop. 

 

“Maybe you should come inside with me.”

 

“No one’s around. I’ll be fine,” Pepper told him. “Look, there’s a table right there… I’ll get it before there’s nowhere else to sit,” she told him and hurried off to the table. She looked over her shoulder as she made her way to the table and Happy just seemed annoyed, but went into the coffee shop anyways. She waited and then looked into the coffee shop, it was packed and busy. She knew what she was about to do was going to upset both Happy and Tony, but she had her phone and she was going to just try to enjoy the day.

 

She got up from the table and made her way away from the coffee shop. She had the day planned out and she was going to make sure that she got everything done that she had set out to do. Pepper just hoped that they didn’t call the police or anything so drastic. She knew if needed, Tony could track her through the GPS on her phone.

 

Hours had passed and she’d just received a text from Tony telling her that Happy wasn’t very happy getting ditched. That had been it though. She’d just texted him back saying that all she wanted was her day and Happy wasn’t letting that happen. That had been it. She was sure that Tony could also track all of her purchases since she was using a credit card. Pepper was feeling pretty good. She’d gotten her nails and toes done and then she’d bought a few new clothing pieces. All and all, it had been relaxing and a good day. That had been all she’d wanted. 

 

Pepper was on her way back to Stark Tower, bags in hand, her purse slung over her shoulder when he came into view. She came to a halt. She just stared for a moment. There he was in Manhattan, not far from Stark Tower…and he was just out in the open in public and during the day. Pepper started to panic. What did she do? 

 

Something nagged her though. What he’d said when he’d broken into their suite… It weighed on her and she couldn’t get it out of her head… All of the nightmares… Everything… 

 

She dropped her bags into a messy heap on the pavement as she tried to retrieve her cell phone from her purse. Panic felt like it was seizing up her lungs. She was having problems breathing as she dropped her purse as well. Her hands shook as she held the phone with both hands as she tried to navigate it calmly. It wasn’t working. She kept pressing the wrong things on the touch screen.

 

“Let me help you.”

 

Her purse was being held up to her and she looked up at the familiar voice and person. He’d seen her and he was there offering her the purse she’d dropped. Pepper just stared at him. “Wha-what are you doing here?” she asked quietly. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”

 

“Can I call someone for you?” Obadiah asked loudly.

 

She looked around to see that everyone had stopped and was watching them. Why didn’t they recognize him? Obadiah Stane had run Stark Industries for long enough, people should know him! “Stay away!” Pepper shouted at him and took a step back. 

 

“I just was trying to help you with your bags,” Obadiah told her as he took a step closer as he still held out her purse. 

 

“You’re supposed to be dead!” 

 

“You must have me confused with someone else,” Obadiah told her evenly. “We haven’t met before.”

 

“What did you mean before?” she asked. She didn’t care what kind of act he was putting up for the people around them, she knew it was him. The man before her was definitely Obadiah Stane. There was no question in her mind. He was alive and real. When he didn’t answer, she moved forward, pulling her purse from his grasp, and pushed him back. He grabbed her arm and they both tumbled down.

 

“I meant that I had you…you were mine,” he barely whispered.

 

Pepper gasped and her eyes widened. She was being pulled away from him and back to her feet. She immediately realized that someone must have called the police. She just hoped that they’d take him into custody and maybe some things could be sorted out. “Please! You have to arrest him. He’s Obadiah Stane… He broke into Stark Tower—“

 

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about…she just suddenly dropped all of her things and I was just trying to help her,” Pepper heard Obadiah telling the officers who were around her. 

 

The police kept them apart and where asking them questions along with people who had been there when everything had happened. “I don’t care if he’s telling you his name is Trevor Allen,” Pepper said. She turned her phone around. “He’s Obadiah Stane. He’s supposed to be dead. Please… I’m sure Tony filed a police report—“

 

“We’ve already been in contact with Mr. Stark,” one of the other officers said. “He said that Mr. Hogan is coming down to collect you. We’ll be in touch with you and don’t worry, we’ll follow up on Mr. Allen’s identity.”

 

Pepper didn’t know if they were just trying to placate her, but she started to panic when she noticed that the other officers were just letting Obadiah walk off. When they officers walked over towards her, she was shocked at their words. “He’s not going to press charges.”

 

“He’s Obadiah Stane! He broke into—“

 

“Ma’am… All of his identification checks out,” the officer said. “But Mr. Stark already has the FBI and everyone else double checking things… Maybe he just looks like Mr. Stane.”

 

Tears were streaming down Pepper’s face and she felt so lost and so confused. She knew it was him. Why didn’t they believe her? And what he’d said to her… Pepper started to gasp for air and the officers seemed to be alarmed by it, but she couldn’t help it. It was too much. She couldn’t get air in fast enough.

 

“Pepper! Pepper!” 

 

And Happy was there and pulled her into his arms. He was shushing her and kissing her temple. “I’m here, Pep,” he whispered. It didn’t calm her, she clung to him. He continued to hold her and his question was directed to one of the officers. “Can I take her home now?” 

 

“Sure.”

 

“Come on, Pep,” Happy said quietly. He released her and handed her the purse that had been sitting on the ground with her bags. He then collected all the shopping bags. Happy wrapped an arm around her and guided her in the direction of Stark Tower.

 

“I’m sorry,” Pepper whispered as she leaned against him. Tears still streamed down her face. She wanted to look over her shoulder to ensure that Obadiah wasn’t following them, but she knew that he wouldn’t try anything now. Not after the police had been involved and not with Happy right there. 

 

“I know.”

 

“I really am.”

 

“It’s okay, Pep.”

 

“Is Tony mad?” 

 

“He will be once he knows that they just let that bastard walk away.”

 

. . .

 

It felt like he was going crazy. 

 

He was fairly sure that he knew what going crazy felt like. If not, he assumed that this was it. They’d let Obadiah walk away because he’d had good fake identification and credit cards…and probably even a library card. It was ridiculous. Pepper was a mess and she’d apologized to him over and over again between sobs until she finally fell asleep. Happy was more concerned about Obadiah luckily, so at least Pepper didn’t have to worry about him being upset with her. 

 

“Sir, Director Fury of SHIELD is on the line,” JARVIS spoke up. 

 

“Put him through.”

 

“Of course, Sir.”

 

A moment later, Fury’s picture appeared. “I hear that Obadiah Stane’s returned to the dead. I’m not quite sure how that requires SHIELD involvement, Mr. Stark. Can’t you handle this one?”

 

“If it were only that easy,” Tony said with a sigh. 

 

“Go on.”

 

“He’s got some fake identity that’s apparently really good,” Tony said. “He’s got local law enforcement convinced that he’s some Trevor-something. He broke into the tower and I’m not talking about the first door, I’m talking about a metal suit and coming straight in off of my balcony.”

 

“What else?”

 

“There’s more, but I really don’t have all of the information…” Tony said. “I had wanted to ask for your satellite facial recognition program, but I know he’s in Manhattan now. There was a run-in with Pepper on the street today. It’s already on the news. Everyone thinks she’s crazy… I just… I don’t know what else to do…”

 

“Agent Romanoff has volunteered for the assignment,” Fury told him. “If something comes up though, I’ll recall her.”

 

“I understand that,” Tony said. “And thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Fury said. “She’ll be down within the hour. I assume you have space on your landing pad.”

 

“All clear.”

 

“Fury out.”

 

Tony sighed and rubbed his face. He looked over at Pepper. They were still in the sub-basement. She had fallen asleep on the couch and he hadn’t had the heart to move her to the bed just yet. This was ridiculous, he knew that, but the sub-basement had turned into some kind of fancy fall-out shelter. At least she felt safe enough to sleep. “Come on, Honey,” he whispered as he scooped her up. He was slow and careful as he moved her from the couch to the bed. Slowly, he undressed her until she was in her panties and then grabbed one of his shirts. He pulled it over her and tucked her into bed. He turned off the lights in that part of the sub-basement and moved back over to his workstation.

 

At least it was Natasha. Not that he wouldn’t mind it being Clint. If Fury had said he was sending down Steve then he didn’t think he could play the tape from the old house, the tape of Pepper. There was just something about Steve… He’d feel like he was corrupting his soul or something. He knew that Natasha and Clint would know what to do and they’d be able to help him with the proper SHIELD resources. They’d also act appropriately around Pepper without him saying so. 

 

“JARVIS, wake me up…quietly…when Agent Romanoff arrives,” Tony requested as he rested his head on the desk of the workstation. He closed his eyes and told him that it was only for ten minutes. 

 

Tony didn’t know how much time had passed, but his name was being called and he was being shaken rather hard. “What? What?” Tony blurted out as he sat up and tried to force his eyes open. His eyesight was blurry and he blinked rapidly. He saw a woman’s figure and red hair and for a moment he thought maybe it was Pepper, but the red was too vivid. He blinked again and Natasha Romanoff came into view. “Oh…JARVIS was supposed to wake me… Sorry…”

 

“I attempted, Sir,” JARVIS spoke up. “You would not wake.”

 

“I might be a little tired.”

 

“Mr. Stark hasn’t slept more than four hours in the last four days.”

 

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Tony grumbled as he rubbed his face.

 

“Well, let’s hope that I can help you get some,” Natasha said. “I noticed that Pepper was sleeping…”

 

“It’s a long story… She cried herself to sleep in my arms…and not the first time either,” Tony said with a sigh. “I want you to hear something,” he told her. He brought up the audio file. He started to play it and just waited.

 

“When is this from?”

 

“Apparently when I was in Afghanistan,” Tony explained. “The call was never made to the police about Obadiah because he left Pepper alone after that…and Pepper doesn’t remember any of this.”

 

“Has she listened to it?”

 

Tony nodded. “I think it made things worse.”

 

“I read the police reports about today and Barton’s running the alias,” Natasha told him. “He’ll check in when he has something.”

 

“He obviously did something to her…”

 

“Is that all you have though?”

 

“Obadiah said something to Pepper when he broke in,” Tony said. “I don’t-- JARVIS, do you have audio?”

 

Immediately JARVIS was playing the selection of audio that Tony requested. 

 

“That doesn’t sound good,” Natasha told him honestly. “Maybe there’s a way to see if Pepper remembers more…”

 

“I told you she said—“

 

“But maybe they’re repressed.”

 

“So, you’re talking about bringing them to the surface?” Tony questioned and looked back towards where Pepper was sleeping. He didn’t know if that was the best idea. “She said that maybe she didn’t want to remember…whatever happened…”

 

“We need to know, Tony.”

 

“What if it’s really bad?” he asked as he looked back at her. Tony wondered how bad it really was, but at the same time he wondered what had happened. He didn’t want to bring memories onto Pepper that she couldn’t handle or willingly forget, but at the same time…

 

“She’s strong, she can handle whatever it is,” Natasha assured.

 

He knew that Pepper was strong, but he hated to test her. She’d been through so much and she seemed so delicate since what had happened earlier. “All she wanted today was a normal day…” he whispered as he raked his fingers along his scalp. “She was on her way home when—“

 

Natasha looked towards where Pepper was sleeping. “Whatever she may know… It could help… And maybe it would help things along… Get this behind you all quicker.”

 

“Can it wait?”

 

Natasha nodded. “I have some training, but maybe I should have Fury send down someone more experienced in hypnosis.”

 

“No,” Tony said quickly. “I’d rather it be you.”

 

“I’ll have Clint bring down some things…just in case it’s overwhelming,” Natasha told him. “Why don’t you get some sleep and I’ll work on Stane’s alias from here? You know no one will get past me.”

 

Tony knew that she was telling the truth. He’d definitely be safe to sleep and know that Pepper would be too with Natasha there. Plus, he really didn’t think he was going to be able to keep his eyes open for much longer. “Okay,” he whispered and closed his eyes. He sighed and rubbed his face again. He really was damned exhausted. He felt like he needed to sleep for a month. “Thanks,” he said once he opened his eyes. He motioned vaguely to one side of the sub-basement. “There’s some water and snacks and stuff over there…and—“

 

“I’ll figure it out,” Natasha assured.

 

Tony just nodded sleepily. 

 

“Just try to remember I’m here,” she told him quite seriously.

 

Tony smirked. “Don’t worry… I’m pretty sure Pepper’s just exhausted as I am…and the fear really doesn’t help with getting into the mood for anything like that…” 

 

“Just remember.”

 

. . .

 

“Morning,” Pepper whispered. She was glad that she’d at least caught glimpse of Natasha before she’d just walked out in her shirt and panties, she’d pulled on some shorts and had run her fingers through her hair. She was sure that she looked like crap; there wasn’t much fixing that right at this very moment. She padded towards the fridge to retrieve a water. She was parched and was starting to wonder just how long she’d been out. Tony must have disabled JARVIS’ wake-up call for that morning, not that they really needed to be up on the weekend at a set time. Obviously since Natasha was there, it meant that Fury had finally responded to Tony’s call, she just hoped that it meant that things would be taken care of and done so quickly. 

 

“It’s afternoon actually,” Natasha informed her a moment later.

 

“JARVIS should have woken us,” Pepper told her. She took a long drink from the bottle and then turned to look towards Natasha. “Do you want anything?”

 

“No,” Natasha replied quickly. “Thanks though.”

 

Pepper approached her and wondered when she’d actually gotten there. Obviously Tony was in bed, did that mean that she’d found a way in? Did JARVIS let her in? Had Tony been awake—

 

“Clint’s going to be down in an hour, do you think Tony will be up by then?” Natasha asked, effectively stopping Pepper’s thoughts.

 

“I can get him up, though he’ll probably be better once he’s had some coffee and breakfast,” Pepper admitted. “Probably would do both of us good.”

 

“I’ll go get it and let you two have some space to get dressed,” Natasha offered quickly.

 

“I didn’t mean you had—“

 

Natasha got to her feet and reached out to gently lay her hand on Pepper’s arm. She looked her directly in the eye. “It’s okay… I really need to stretch my legs and I could use some coffee too. Get Tony up… I’ll have JARVIS let me out.”

 

Pepper sucked in breath and tried to remain calm. She didn’t know why she was getting so worked up so early in the morning, and it wasn’t even the good kind of worked up. “Thank you,” she called after Natasha, who merely waved before disappearing. She sipped more water and rubbed her forehead. Pepper turned and looked back towards Tony. She had a feeling that Natasha had been there all night and had arrived sometime after she’d passed out. She really was getting far too good at crying herself to sleep in Tony’s arms. 

 

Setting her nearly empty bottle of water down, she padded back to the bed. Pepper crawled into bed and wrapped her arms around Tony. She cuddled up against him and sighed. They had to get up though. She’d rather get dressed before Natasha returned with breakfast, though she was sure that Tony wouldn’t care. “Tony,” she whispered and kissed his cheek. 

 

“Five more hours,” he muttered.

 

She smiled and looked over at the clock. “What time did you go to sleep?”

 

“Dunno… It was dark.”

 

“We’re in the sub-basement. There were no windows. It’s always dark.”

 

“Which is why we should still be fast asleep,” Tony told her. “Tell me we can go back to sleep.”

 

“Was Natasha here when you went to bed?” 

 

“Yes,” he said and turned onto his side to stare at her. He still looked exhausted. Pepper wished that she could let him sleep the day away. “She ordered me to bed.”

 

“I thought I was the only one who could do that,” she whispered as she reached out to caress his cheek. “She went to go get coffee and breakfast by the way. So, we should be dressed by the time she gets back.”

 

Tony pouted at her. He leaned in and kissed her. “Can we call her and ask her to take her time?” he asked as he pulled her into his arms. It was so comforting. She wished that she could do what he was suggesting, even if it just meant that they had extra time to just lie in bed together. She really wasn’t sure if she really was comfortable going further at the moment.

 

“Clint is going to be here too,” she told him. 

 

“Yeah, I know,” he grumped a bit. He sighed and pulled her close. Tony kissed her forehead and then rested his forehead against hers. 

 

She closed her eyes and they just lay like that for a few quiet minutes. She really wished that all the chaos in their life was gone and they could just spend half of the day in each other’s arms in bed. “I love you,” she whispered.

 

“I love you, Honey,” Tony replied and she knew there was something that he was holding inside of him. Whether it was something he was keeping or something he just hadn’t told her yet. Something that was definitely weighing on him.

 

“Tony?”

 

“When Clint is here,” he said quietly. He pulled back and cupped her cheek as he stared at her. “They’re going to want to try to see if you know anything more about Obadiah…”

 

“What do you mean? I told you I don’t know anything… I didn’t remember talking to JARVIS that night that was saved on the older server…”

 

“Natasha said that they could be repressed.”

 

She could tell by the way he was talking that he really wasn’t sure about it himself. She’d told him before that if there were memories that she didn’t remember that maybe it was best that they stay unremembered. What it really came down to was that there being something horrible in a hidden memory pocket in her brain was the scariest thing. It was all ‘what if’ and unknown and she didn’t know if she could actually cope if they unburied whatever her mind had kept secret from her. “I don’t know…”

 

“It could help them find him faster and put him away,” Tony said.

 

Pepper didn’t even think he believed himself, at least not fully. She could tell he was worried about her, but she didn’t know if that was because of what had gone on, the tape, or what could have happened while he was in Afghanistan. “What if it’s too horrible?” she asked. She’d run through what could have happened and she didn’t like any of it, not even the line of thoughts were it could have been a simple misunderstanding. 

 

“Then we’ll face it together,” Tony told her. “I’m not leaving you, Pep.”

 

“But that tape, it was years ago, Tony… None of it matters. The past should stay in the past,” she tried to argue, but she knew that she wasn’t convincing. There were just so many thoughts running through her mind about what Tony was suggesting. She was just scared. 

 

“Do you think that people are going to think of you differently? That I would treat you differently?”

 

“You don’t know what I meant by ‘assault’,” Pepper told him. “And yes... What if it changed things between us?” she questioned. 

 

“I’m not running for the hills,” he teased. “Though, I’ll admit, I’m always happily surprised you’re here every morning when I wake up.”

 

Pepper shook her head, but couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She kissed his cheek and got out of bed again. She needed to get dressed. She needed to brush her teeth and her hair…and she needed to start to feel like a normal person. 

 

“Shower?”

 

“Natasha could be back any minute.”

 

“She can wait,” he said with a shrug as he got out of bed as well.

 

He really was impossible. 

 

“Tony—“

 

“Kidding…kidding…”

 

Pepper sighed, she really couldn’t be sure sometimes. She started to retrieve something far too much business-like and then shoved the hangers back into place. Instead, she grabbed a pair of jeans, a button-up long sleeve light blue shirt, and a white tank top. She actually really liked dressing up for work and for events, but today she didn’t even think they were leaving the sub-basement…it just wasn’t necessary…and she just hoped that this may help keep her stress level down. So, she changed her clothes with her back to Tony, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her get dressed before, she just was really trying to remain calm with the thoughts of what the day could bring. Dread was just filling her and was spilling over. 

 

“It’s going to be okay, you know,” he whispered. “Whatever happens… There are some things that just aren’t going to change…and you know, my charming personality is one of those things…”

 

She smiled and turned to see him smirking at her. “Oh? And what else?”

 

“My love for you,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. She was in her tank top and jeans and she really was regretting that they couldn’t stay in bed all day. She knew that it was probably what they both needed. Cuddling and sleep would do them both so much good. 

 

Pepper leaned in and kissed him this time. She knew he was trying his best to keep her on the positive side of things, but it really wasn’t helping much. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she told him before disappearing off to the bathroom in order to brush her teeth, wash her face, get her hair into order, and to put on some make-up. 

 

. . .

 

Obadiah had to admit; this had to have been the best plan. He didn’t have to hide away and he wasn’t the one who the cameras were focused on. His cover was intact and those in his ‘community’ merely worried for his safety. It was sweet really. He’d already received phone calls, cookies, and casseroles from concerned people who thought of him as a friend. 

 

The police had cleared him and he’d actually had one check in on him, they went to church together, but Obadiah still thought it was just the cherry on top of it all. He’d made sure that he’d gone on with his ‘life’. It was amusing more than anything. It was all over the papers, television, and every other form of media.

 

‘Pepper Potts loses it’ and ‘Tony Stark isolating himself in Stark Tower’. It really wasn’t looking good for Stark Industries. The stocks were dropping and it didn’t seem like anything was really getting done. Obadiah knew that the board was probably thinking about stepping in, this was really going to be the perfect time to step in. 

 

Pepper and Tony had built up and expanded Stark Industries and he could just swoop in, remember who he was, and take over the company again. It seemed like a win-win to him. Of course he’d have to figure out how to get Pepper since she was pretty much seeming like she’d lost it. He figured that at this point that she just needed to forget everything and he could fill in the blanks for her… 

 

All he had to do was wait.

 

. . .

 

Tony sat back and tried to be patient. It was harder than he’d thought. He wanted to hold her or at least hold her hand. Tony wanted to be there for Pepper. Natasha had explicitly told him that he could not talk or touch her. It was hard. He knew that she was terrified. She’d gone back and forth with him right before she’d said that she needed to do it and that she wanted to do it before she could talk herself out of it. 

 

Clint was there, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He’d brought some things down for Natasha, though Tony wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. All he knew was that he was pretty sure that he was a lot more stressed out about this than Pepper had been. 

 

“I want you to remember that you’re safe,” Natasha said in an even tone. “I want you to remember back to a time when Tony was in Afghanistan and you didn’t know if he was dead or alive.” She paused for a moment. “There was a night that you were afraid. You were at the mansion in Malibu. Do you remember that night?”

 

“Yes,” Pepper spoke quietly.

 

“Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“I locked myself in the bathroom.”

 

“Why?” 

 

“I had woken up and I was naked,” Pepper spoke quietly. “Obadiah was pouring wine down my throat… He moved me over the armrest of the chair and pressed himself against me.” Her voice then changed and it was evident that she was starting to get upset by remembering. “I didn’t remember, but I knew he’d already raped me before waking up. “He told me that he’d arranged for Tony to be killed…” And she was crying and struggling to breathe. 

 

“Pepper, you’re safe,” Natasha spoke up. “Obadiah cannot hurt you here.”

 

And Tony had to admit, that was a lie. Obadiah Stane had already proved that he could do anything he wanted and go anywhere he wanted. Tony felt sick and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to be able to make this better. He wanted to go back all those years and to just stay home from the Jericho weapons demonstration and make sure that Stane never touched her. He wanted to prove to her that the world wasn’t always bad, because really…sometimes it seemed like it was out to get them.

 

“I kicked him and he grabbed me and I fell…” Pepper continued, she hadn’t calmed down yet. “I got into the bathroom and locked myself in there, but he kept pounding on the door shouting my name…”

 

“Pepper,” Natasha said and it was Pepper who interrupted her.

 

“And all I wanted the whole time was for Tony to walk through the door,” she barely got out. 

 

Tony had moved closer, but had tried his hardest not to touch her in any way. This was getting out of hand, though. Pepper was spiraling and Tony didn’t know how he could stand by much longer and just watch and listen to everything. 

 

“Barton,” Natasha said as she turned.

 

It was swift and it was probably the most merciful thing to do in that moment. Natasha was injecting Pepper was something and she started to slump a moment later. “Sedative,” Clint supplied when he looked his way for an answer. 

 

“Can I move her?” Tony asked. He was desperate to touch her. He didn’t care how; even carrying her to their bed was enough. 

 

“Yes,” Natasha replied. “She’s going to be out for a while.”

 

So ever so carefully, Tony scooped her up and moved her over to their bed. She was barefoot, so he really didn’t feel like he needed to remove anything. She could sleep there in her jeans and shirt and he didn’t think she’d be too uncomfortable. He just wished that he could take the bad memories away that had been effectively buried for so long. 

 

“This was a bad idea,” Tony whispered as he stared down at Pepper.

 

“Was it?” Natasha questioned from behind.

 

“She didn’t know what had happened—“

 

“I would rather be haunted by my past than deal with a huge hole in my head,” Natasha told him. “Can you really tell me that you’d choose differently?”

 

“I-I don’t know,” Tony admitted.

 

“She’s a strong woman,” Clint said. 

 

And Tony already knew that. “She’s the strongest woman that I know…” he whispered. 

 

“There may be more,” Natasha brought up.

 

“I know,” Tony replied. That’s what he was afraid of. He and Pepper had promised not to keep secrets from each other, which was why Pepper had insisted that he stay. Clint and Natasha had promised to keep whatever came out between them. For the most part, Tony knew that the Avengers could be trusted. Sometimes he wasn’t so sure about Steve…but Natasha and Clint were solid. Natasha had seen his world and worked with Pepper and so he knew that she wouldn’t push or do anything that might hurt Pepper. “I just… I should have known—“

 

“Pepper didn’t even know,” Clint pointed out.

 

“I came home and I was so focused on stopping weapons productions and—“

 

“Did Happy say anything?” Natasha questioned.

 

“I didn’t even ask…” Tony admitted. “I figured that everything was just as I had left it… Everyone had seemed happy to see me alive. I was happy to be alive.” He stopped for a moment. “After I first listened to the audio recording, I had thought about asking Happy, but I didn’t want to play it for him without talking to Pepper first…”

 

“There might have been something that he didn’t even realize was important. Something small. Pepper didn’t show up when she was supposed to. She maybe acted a little confused or different.”

 

Tony just didn’t know what to do with that. Right now, even if Happy remembered anything, it wouldn’t help Pepper. Obadiah Stane had already raped her. He couldn’t go back in time and change any of that. 

 

“I’m going to ask her to marry me, you know,” he randomly threw out there.

 

“You act like an ass,” Natasha warned. “And I’ll kill you.”

 

Her threat was real and Tony knew enough to be afraid. “I know,” he responded honestly. “I just wish I could fix this.”

 

“It’s not something to fix, you have to work through it. You’re going to have to be committed. I know that’s a scary word for you sometimes.”

 

“Not when it comes to her,” Tony said as he looked down at Pepper. He sunk to his knees and just stared at her. He wanted to hold her hand or kiss her, but he didn’t want to screw up. So, he kept the space he’d been keeping. He loved her. Nothing that Obadiah did or would do was going to change that. “She’s the one thing in my life that I’m terrified to screw up.”

 

All that time she’d wanted him to walk through the door, it haunted him now. How he’d wished he could have been there to ‘save’ her. How he wished that he hadn’t let her down. He knew that the reality was that he hadn’t been able to do anything even if he’d known because at the time in question, he’d been in a cave in Afghanistan being held by terrorists. It was still hard, though, he just knew that he had to do anything he could to keep the Pepper that he knew and loved. He didn’t want these memories to change her. 

 

“So, don’t.”

 

“You make it sound so simple,” Tony said as he looked back at where Clint and Natasha stood together. 

 

“It can be.”

 

“Nothing’s ever simple when it comes to—“

 

“This is Tony and Pepper… That’s it. You two are going to need to work through it together. The Stark name and the company and the fame… None of that matters when it comes to your relationship.”

 

How was it that she was so right? Natasha Romanoff was one of the people in the world who was constantly surprising him. He never had to really work on a relationship as much as he had in the last year. Pepper had always been his anchor and his saving grace; he knew that now he needed to be there for her. He really wasn’t sure if he knew how to do that, but he was going to try his best to be the man that she expected him to be. 

 

He loved her and he hoped that it would be enough.

 

. . .

 

Natasha could go long periods of time without sleep. She’d taken a power nap here and there while Tony and Pepper had been out and Clint kept giving her a ‘look’, but she was ignoring him right now. She wasn’t just going to break down and sleep, not now, plus there was something about being able to sleep in familiar surroundings…if she tried to sleep here, it would be more half napping. She was far too used to being super aware of her surroundings. She’d told them that they’d be safe with them there and she was going to keep that promise. 

 

“He looks sort of pathetic,” Clint whispered.

 

Natasha looked over towards the bed. Pepper was still asleep and Tony was on the floor next to the bed in this messy heap. She didn’t know if he was awake or asleep, either way he looked pretty miserable. “We all have people who are our weaknesses…whether we like to admit it or not,” she said before looking at him. 

 

She liked to think that she had no weaknesses, but she did. She knew that she had to keep strong and generally badass, but Barton was one of those weaknesses. Maybe it was because he’d seen more than just a ‘target’ when he’d hunted her for SHIELD or maybe it was just because he was the closest thing to family she had. If it came down to it, she was sure she could shoot him if she needed to, but it might be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. 

 

Looking back over at Tony, she knew that he was beating himself up. She’d met Tony back when he was all about women and drinking and doing what he wanted. He’d changed so much since they’d first met. He had Pepper and maybe for the first time in his life, he had to understand certain social and relationship aspects that he never had to approach with a ten foot pole before. This was a different Tony. It wasn’t that he was pathetic…he was just so in love with Pepper and Natasha knew that he blamed himself even though there was nothing he could have done. Not from when she’d remembered what she had. 

 

“Are you going to try again?”

 

“I don’t know,” Natasha told him truthfully. “I don’t know if either of them can handle it.” 

 

“Stane’s going to go down, but the boss is going to want more than him just being alive and harassing Mr. and Mrs. Stark,” Clint pointed out. “We promised not to say anything about—“

 

“If he sent Tony out to Afghanistan to die… If he hired those men… That means that he’s been behind a lot more,” she told him.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Natasha logged into the SHIELD database and brought up The Ten Rings. “This is the group that was responsible for Stark’s kidnapping and holding in Afghanistan. This group was affliated with The Mandarin…which means that Stane may have been plotting all this time… He might have bigger plans that we realize… Everything that’s been coming for Stark, maybe he was behind it all this time…”

 

“He wasn’t behind the aliens falling out of the sky and Loki though, right?” Clint asked.

 

She smirked. “I doubt that, though if he’d had better connections…then I wouldn’t have put it past him.”

 

“It sounds a little conspiracy theory, Tasha,” Clint told her. He shrugged. “But when are you ever wrong…”

 

“And don’t you forget that.”

 

They both smiled at each other and she closed the database down. She was sure that Stark would be happy to play inside of it, but she was fairly sure that Fury still didn’t want him to have access without direct orders. Orders which she didn’t have. 

 

“Do you want pizza?”

 

“No.”

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Yes,” she told him and shook her head. She knew what he wanted. He was hoping to use getting her something as an excuse to not only get out of there, but to eat as well. “Getting a little claustrophobic?”

 

“There’s no high places in this thing…”

 

“You could go perch up on the balcony off of Stark’s suite,” Natasha pointed out. 

 

Clint shook his head. “Then I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

 

“I can protect myself. You’re more like a sidekick,” she teased.

 

“Sidekick? Really?”

 

She shrugged and when he turned she grinned. “Go get your pizza,” she called.

 

“I’ll be back in a while,” Clint said as he disappeared.

 

Natasha really didn’t need him going stir crazy, that really was the last thing that she needed. She knew that it would have been nicer if there were a high ceiling and some kind of perch-able area, but there wasn’t. She was sure that Tony hadn’t planned on hiding down there for any extended period of time. 

 

“Where’s Clint?”

 

She turned around to see Pepper standing there, Tony was still in a heap on the floor. So, Natasha assumed that he was out like a light. Maybe it was for the best, though. Even though Pepper had gone through a lot with the hypnosis, Tony had emotionally beat himself up enough to earn the sleep. “He’s getting air…and pizza.”

 

“Sometimes it feels like the walls are closing in,” Pepper said with a nod. Her arms were crossed and she kept looking down.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Honestly?” Pepper asked as she looked up. “I’m exhausted and confused…and even though I know how long ago all of that took place…I still feel dirty… And it makes sense… Things that I hadn’t thought so much about at the time.”

 

“Like what?” 

 

“I think that’s the night that I thought that I’d drank so much that I’d passed out at the mansion. I had been so confused as to why I had been at the mansion and I think that Happy had lost a whole night’s sleep because I had never returned any of his text messages… And then I couldn’t find all the pieces of my clothes,” she said and covered her face with her hand. “It was a lot to deal with at the time… Obadiah had talked about declaring Tony dead… He had wanted me to be his assistant… I didn’t want to let Tony go…”

 

“It couldn’t have been easy,” Natasha said evenly. “He was gone for three months, right?”

 

Pepper nodded. “And then he was suddenly home…mostly safe and sound…”

 

“You know, you could talk to someone,” Natasha suggested. She really wasn’t sure how effective that was, but she knew that it was a common thing and that a lot of people believed in talking and therapy. 

 

“I need to know what else happened…” Pepper told her. “If he did anything else to me…”

 

“Pepper, that could be like finding a needle in a haystack unless you have an idea…”

 

“There were a couple of times where I woke up and thought that I’d passed out…but I don’t drink that much, but my favorite bottle of wine….would always be there…” she said softer as she trailed off. 

 

“Any other time?” she pushed. Natasha could see that Pepper was thinking, that she was pushing through her memories and trying to find the confusing moments or blank spots. “Anything that you don’t remember?”

 

“When Killian had me…I think I blacked out… The Extremis was in my system and I don’t know…” She was looking at her with pleading eyes. “I have to know, Natasha…”

 

Natasha really wasn’t sure about what Pepper wanted. She respected her wanting to know what was blocked from her memory for whatever reason. She was fairly sure that it was some kind of drug, but having black spots in your memory couldn’t bring any comfort. She was sure that she’d rather face whatever terror may lie there than not know. If you knew, then you could deal with it. You could know what might be coming. 

 

“Why don’t you write down what you think might be other instances and we can try again,” Natasha suggested. “I just need to know where to guide you…” She looked past Pepper to where Tony was. “And as much as I know Tony wants to be here for you…I think we should let him sleep…”

 

“Before… You sedated me, didn’t you?”

 

“You were hysterical, I couldn’t calm you down,” Natasha explained. She motioned over to the small box that Clint had brought along. “There’s more sedatives, though… So, if it happens again…”

 

Pepper turned to look back at Tony. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

 

“He’s not the one I’m really worrying about.”

 

When Pepper looked back at her, she knew. Natasha knew that Pepper was the one who was used to worrying about Tony, not the other way around. “I know. I still worry, though. I can’t help it.”

 

“Tony will be fine as long as you are.”

 

Pepper nodded. “I need to know… Maybe it can help somehow?”

 

Natasha wasn’t sure if it would help, except to add more charges to what they all wanted to take Obadiah in for. This wasn’t just about what Obadiah did to Pepper, what Obadiah did to Tony, but it would impact both of their reputations in the public...and that included the company. It was important for their lives. After all, someone in the Avengers needed to have somewhat of a normal life. It certainly wasn’t going to be any of the others. Steve just seemed confused by things and just trying to find a purpose out there. Tony and Pepper were the closest to ‘normal’. 

 

“Do you want to sit?” Natasha asked after a moment. She was trying to give Pepper enough time in case she wanted to back out of it. 

 

Pepper nodded. “Do you mind if we do it over there?” 

 

Natasha looked in the direction that Pepper was pointing. It was the far empty corner of the sub-basement. There wasn’t anything there, but maybe that was better. They could move the chairs and the lack of lighting and electronics just might help Pepper to relax. “Sure,” she replied and was moving with a chair in her hands before Pepper even moved. 

 

Once both chairs were in place, Pepper sat down in her chair and then handed Natasha the piece of paper. “Hopefully this helps…”

 

“Do you want to press into what we’d explored earlier?” Natasha asked. If Pepper wanted to know everything, then she could facilitate that, she just needed to know what needed to be done. She also needed to know whether or not to expect her to scream or go into hysterics. She was very mindful that Tony wasn’t far away and she’d hate to deal with him waking up to that. 

 

“No...not right now,” Pepper whispered. 

 

Natasha didn’t push. She knew that Pepper was trying to move forward in hopes that something might help them let the authorities know what they could use against Obadiah. Fury had made it clear that unless there was something that set Stane apart, like Aldrich Killian or Loki, that he was to be ultimately dealt with by the FBI or local authorities. She really didn’t like it, especially not after what had been uncovered.

 

There were so many secrets.

 

The world knew nothing about who Obadiah Stane really was… Nothing had ever gone public about him hiring The Ten Rings to kill Tony or anything else that they were uncovering...and whatever she’d discover once Pepper was under hypnosis. Natasha looked down at the list and frowned. This really didn’t sit well with her. The first thing Pepper had written down was a time that she was working as Pepper’s assistant. She had been focused on Tony at the time, but had Stane gotten past her and hurt Pepper? 

 

She felt sick.

 

Natasha turned her focus on Pepper. She got her into a relaxed and safe place before she started to direct Pepper to where the memories might be buried. “I want you to think to when Tony made you CEO...when Natalie Rushman was your assistant. You were at the office late one night. Do you remember anything unusual?”

 

“I had fallen asleep,” Pepper said quietly. “He was unbuttoning my shirt...and kissing me…”

 

“Who?”

 

“Obadiah Stane.”

 

Natasha felt so sick. She’d been told to stay in place within Stark Industries, but her assignment had been Tony. She couldn’t help, but feel like she failed. Pepper Potts might not have been a ‘hero’ as far as the world saw, but Natasha knew that she was a strong woman...she had to be in order to deal with Tony for as long as she did. Pepper had grown even more since she’d first met her. It still hurt Natasha, though, and she wished that she had been able to have been able to have saved Pepper from the pain that she knew was going to stick with her with these new memories. Natasha knew that she had to be strong right now, for Pepper, she needed her.

 

“What is he doing?” Natasha finally asked.

 

“He drugged me...something in my drink…” Pepper went on. “He was smug...about me not remembering the first time… He teased me about it. He pointed out that Tony was at home in his workshop, how he wasn’t there at Stark Industries with me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He knew I wanted Tony there...I started to say something about it, but Obadiah said that Tony was probably home with ‘the other red head’ and that I wasn’t even good enough to make his conquest list…”

 

How wrong Obadiah Stane had been. Natasha wondered if Pepper and Tony being so close now made him jealous. She wondered if it just burned him to know that Tony really had changed and he’d changed in part because of Pepper. He had been right in a way, Pepper wasn’t a conquest… “Let’s move past that…”

 

Pepper started to panic, Natasha could see it and hear her breathing increasing. 

 

“Pepper,” she said calmly. “You’re safe… Tell me what’s wrong…”

 

“He’s going to kill Happy… I called him--”

 

“Happy’s safe,” Natasha said instantly. “He’s safe… Keep going… What happened next?”

 

When the tears started to fall down Pepper’s face and the audible cries, Natasha knew that they’d moved past Stane just threatening… She knew that they had to be careful if they were going to continue to keep from waking Tony. “Pepper, you’re safe. I need you to remember that. I need you to tell me where you are...what’s going on…”

 

“I’m...not my office...my place… He took me home,” she whispered. Her voice was wavering as she continued. “I had hurt my ankle trying to keep him away from me at the office… I think he put me in the bath… It’s fuzzy.”

 

“That’s okay,” Natasha told her. “What’s the next thing you remember?”

 

“Waking up… I was in my bed at home, icepack on my ankle, a bottle of my favorite wine that’s almost empty, and pain pills… And then Happy showed up to take me to work. He helped me fix my broken heel,” Pepper said and it seemed to ease her emotions a bit. 

 

Natasha was feeling like she needed to move on. She looked down at the list she had. “I need you to remember to when Tony was called in by Coulson. What do you remember about that time?”

 

“I was having nightmares...about Obadiah… I kept having them and I had been feeling guilty about feeling like I’d killed Obadiah,” Pepper told her. 

 

“Where did you go when Tony went to work with the Avengers?” Natasha asked and figured that Pepper would know more closely when she was talking about.

 

“DC… I had to go for Stark Industries…”

 

“You were at your hotel,” Natasha prompted. “Did you have drinks?”

 

“I met someone who was interested in trying to merge with the company,” Pepper said. “I was just about to leave...and a bottle of my favorite wine was set on the table.”

 

“Who brought it?”

 

Pepper was quiet for a moment, like she was working through the question. “I thought it was a waiter, but it was Obadiah...with a gun. He told me I had to go with him or else he was going to shoot everyone. So, I went with him.”

 

“Where did he take you?”

 

“He made me take him back to my room.” Pepper started to panic again and Natasha knew that Obadiah must have been getting too close to Pepper. “I tried to fight--I did, but he--”

 

“You’re safe,” Natasha told her. “What happened? You were fighting him…”

 

“He held me down and poured wine down my throat,” Pepper said as her voice still sounded panicked. “Eventually he stopped...he said he drugged me… He tried to--he tried--I managed to scratch his face...he hit me.” Sobs were filling Pepper’s throat and tears were rolling down her face. “It didn’t stop him… I didn’t want him to… I couldn’t fight him…”

 

“He can’t hurt you anymore, Pepper. You were a victim,” Natasha told her. “You have to understand that you did the best you could to keep yourself alive in that situation. That’s what matters.”

 

“He felt like he was suffocating me...when he was on top,” Pepper whispered. 

 

“Move past it.”

 

“I took pills...and drank more wine..by choice,” she whispered before completely breaking down. “I didn’t want to remember… I didn’t want to remember the sounds he made...or the feeling of him inside of me…”

 

Natasha looked back towards the bed and could see Tony stirring. She still had more that she was trying to get through. “Focus, Pepper. You’re safe. He can’t hurt you. You need to breathe…”

 

It took Pepper a minute, but she started to comply. 

 

Natasha waited and Tony came into view. He looked grumpy and upset. Right now, he was going to have to wait. She was honoring what Pepper wanted and really that was what mattered. She turned her attention back fully to Pepper. She looked down at the list on her lap. “When Aldrich Killian took you and injected you with Extremis…do you remember what happened when he was holding you?”

 

“It hurt...the Extremis… They had me locked on a table thing for a long time and it just burned…” Pepper said. 

 

“Was there a time when you weren’t?” 

 

“I was in a room…”

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

“It was cold and small,” Pepper said. “I tried to stay in the back corner.”

 

“Did anyone come in?” 

 

Pepper was quiet. “I don’t know.”

 

“Just think about it.”

 

“It’s just...black,” Pepper whispered.

 

“Take your time.”

 

“It’s just a big black hole,” Pepper insisted. “I remember Tony being there, but nothing else before that until I remember the Extremis finally not hurting anymore. I had begged Maya to help me...to let me go…”

 

Natasha watched as Tony looked away for a moment and then ran his hands over his face. She knew this had to be hard for him, but it was probably for the best that he’d slept through the rest. Turning her attention back to Pepper, she brought her out of it. She didn’t know what to think about there being a hole in Pepper’s memory. 

 

“I don’t understand,” Pepper said. 

 

“You said that he always drugged you.”

 

“He put something in my drink… A pill.”

 

“I’ll have to check into a different type of drug,” Natasha told her. 

 

Pepper got up from the chair and seemed a little unsteady, but Tony caught her and kept her from falling over. “I’m okay… I just need a drink.”

 

“I’ll get it,” Tony said quickly.

 

“No,” Pepper insisted. “Let me.”

 

Natasha took in the glare that Tony was sending her way, but watched with concern as Pepper made her way across the sub-basement. She wasn’t steady and Natasha was sure that she wasn’t okay. There was a lot that she’d had to go through. Things that she hadn’t wanted to remember, she’d remembered that. Natasha just hoped that Pepper was as strong as she thought she was.

 

“Now what?”

 

“I talk to Clint… We figure out a plan… We bring Obadiah in and we find out where Fury wants him to go.”

 

“Six feet under would work for me,” Tony told her. “For real this time.”

 

“I’m not arguing,” she told him. “Though I think that Fury will have other plans.”

 

“There has to be justice,” Tony insisted. 

 

Natasha sighed. “There will be.”

 

. . .

 

Tony hadn’t heard everything and it worried him a bit. He had wanted to know what had happened so that he could be prepared to be there for Pepper through whatever they needed to go through in order to make sure that she was okay. He’d go to couples counseling seven days a week and talk through everything if that’s what he had to do. He’d do anything to keep Pepper and to make things right, if that was even possible.

 

Pepper had been distant, which was fine. Natasha had said something about letting her work through it. She wouldn’t tell him any more than that. Clint had eaten pizza and Natasha had disappeared to talk to Fury. Tony didn’t like any of it. None of it was sitting well with him. He just felt like he’d failed Pepper all the more.

 

The holes almost worried him the most. Even out of the things that he hadn’t heard. It was obvious that it was the first time that she hadn’t been able to remember what had happened while under hypnosis. What kind of drug could do that? She’d remembered everything else that she hadn’t even known about while Natasha had her under, why not when she was with Killian? Could it have been the Extremis virus in her system?

 

The more he went over what he’d heard, the more he just wanted to track down Obadiah so that he could kill him with his bare hands. He was sure that wasn’t what Fury wanted, but then he’d be dead for sure. And more than that...Tony was fairly certain that it would make him feel better. 

 

“Pep,” Tony said as he approached where she sat on their bed. He waited before sitting down next to her. She looked up and scooted over, so he took that as a sign that he could join her. He sat down and just watched her. Her head bowed again and it just flat out worried him. “How are you doing...with everything?”

 

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

 

“If you wanted to talk--”

 

“I’m fine,” she repeated and looked up at him.

 

He didn’t believe it. Not for one second. She was hurting. She was going through a lot and she wasn’t letting him in. Tony was sure that his past self would have hated the thought of having to sit and listen to Pepper’s feelings, but he wanted to hear everything… He wanted to know what he could do to help… He wanted to help her bear the weight a little. 

 

“I am,” she insisted.

 

“Okay,” he just said. Tony knew better than to argue with her. It wasn’t going to get him anywhere. If she said she was ‘fine’, then he just had to take her word for it right now. Even if it was hard for him to accept. 

 

The two of them just sat there in silence. Even if they weren’t talking, he was feeling like just being close to her like this was what she might have needed. He wanted to reach out and take her balled up hands out of her lap and just hold them, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to upset her or freak her out, so he tried to wait for her to make the first move.

 

. . .

 

Pepper had needed space. She knew that Tony probably hated that right now, but she needed it. The sub-basement had felt like she was suffocating, she just couldn’t deal with it. She needed the air. Tony had expressed worry over her not being protective, but JARIS had promised to alert him if anything got even close to the building. 

 

Pepper sat up in their suite in Stark Tower and just thought. She’d moved out onto the balcony and was just sitting crosslegged on the floor as she stared out at the city. She felt absolutely helpless. All of those times that Obadiah raped her...and for so long she hadn’t known… She let her head fall into her hands and she just cried. Pepper hadn’t wanted to cry in front of Tony, mainly because she hadn’t been sure if she could handle him comforting her. There was just a lot she was trying to work through. Things made so much more sense to her now and it scared her a little bit. Had she endangered Happy on more than one occasion? She knew that she should really be focused on the fact that he was alive, but she really was just processing everything. 

 

There was guilt and helplessness and hatred and horror and disgust...and she wondered if she’d really done the right thing. Should she have had Natasha hypnotize her? Did it help or make anything better? She still had a hole in her memory… Obadiah could have done anything to her then...if it was Obadiah. Right now, she was fairly sure that the not knowing would haunt her.

 

Scopolamine was most likely what had used on her during the time that she didn’t remember because it was a hole. Natasha had come back with the information. It wasn’t like rohypnol, which was likely what Obadiah had used all the other times. Scopolamine was different and highly dangerous. The drug put the victim into a zombie-like state and while on the drug, their brain just stops making memories. So, there was actually nothing to recover, it was all just a big empty space in her head. 

 

She wanted to know now though. Pepper wanted her memories to be complete and she needed to know what had been done to her. She almost wished that Killian was still alive so that she could ask him what he knew. Pepper had a feeling that Killian would be more forthcoming than Obadiah would be. She just had to know. How ever horrible it was, she needed to be able to face it and to deal with it. 

 

She needed to know. 

 

“JARVIS,” she whispered and knew he’d hear her.

 

“How can I be of service, Ms. Potts?” his voice answered.

 

“How many suits does Tony have in the building?”

 

“The Mark forty-three and forty-four are both in the building.”

 

“Could I access the interface and pilot one of them?” Pepper asked. She’d only been in Tony’s other suit once when he’d thrown it on her to protect her. She still had try to now and just hope that these two versions didn’t require to have her inject herself with nodes.

 

“Technically...yes.”

 

She could hear that JARVIS was unsure about giving her her answer, but she was glad that he’d given it to her. Obviously it sounded like he wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of her piloting one of the suits, but she felt like she had to do it. “Will you alert Tony?”

 

“Of course, Ms. Potts. It’s my duty.”

 

“Just give me a head start,” she told him. “Send me up whichever one is going to be the easiest to get into and pilot.”

 

“As you wish,” JARVIS responded and sounded reluctant. “Mark forty-four is on its way.”

 

Pepper got to her feet and turned to see the ‘secret’ panel slide aside in order to reveal the familiar form of an armored suit. This one wasn’t red and gold like many of the previous ones had been, but just grey and silver. It opened so that she could step into it and once she was in, it closed behind her. She tried to adjust to all the things on the HUD and to concentrate on the controls. 

 

“JARVIS, help me out,” she said. Pepper really didn’t want to go crashing through the window of the suite and plummet down the side of the building.

 

“As always, Ms. Potts,” JARVIS spoke up. “I am with you and at your service.”

 

. . .

 

Obadiah felt confident that he was getting his life back. It was just a matter of time, and that time was ticking by faster and faster. Reclaiming Pepper as his was going to be a bit more complicated than he’d previously hoped, but he’d eventually figure it out. He looked over the paper and couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. The media was fairly sure that Pepper and Tony would be removed from Stark Industries on the ground that they were both unstable. The board would certainly need someone to step in that was reliable and had experience. 

 

His time was coming.

 

The ruse of Trevor Allen was handy since he apparently hadn’t remembered who he was and people told him. So, he could just ‘remember’ who he was and take back his life. The life that had been stolen from him. It was all there still for the taking. 

 

His time was coming.

 

He was just relaxing, his grey sock clad feet up on the coffee table, he was still in his suit as he read over the paper. This was relaxing, reading about everything he’d pushed into motion. Knowing that he was destroying Tony’s life, that was relaxing. He didn’t even need alcohol. Though, he could use a woman...but he knew he couldn’t press his luck, after all he couldn’t have Pepper right now. 

 

The rather loud thump that came from his terrance pulled his attention from his paper. He set down his paper and walked towards it. He wasn’t scared. If it was Tony, then it would just be more fuel for the fire. He didn’t care if the man was Tony fucking Stark, he didn’t run the world. He had enough things and people to keep him right where he was living in the state he wanted to live in...at least for the time being. 

 

There on his terrance was the Iron Man armor, though it looked a bit different than he had seen before. He was just standing there, but Obadiah pulled out his cell phone anyways and got ready to call the police. “This is the last time you’ll harass me, Tony,” Obadiah told him. He was dialing and about to hit ‘send’ when the voice surprised him.

 

“Why did you do it?” 

 

He looked up to see the mask had retracted to reveal the beautiful face of Pepper Potts, whom he’d just been thinking about. Apparently she was here for some kind of answers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told her, trying to find out what she specifically wanted.

 

“You drugged me… You raped me… Why?” she asked. Her voice was calm and quiet. 

 

She had remembered...somehow. “I’ve wanted you since the day I first saw you at Stark Industries,” Obadiah told her. “I think most men want you.” He watched her, she obviously had hoped for more of an explanation. “That’s it. I wanted you. I still want you.” He took steps towards her, he wasn’t scared. “And I know that I’ll have you… Your reputation might be ruined and they might medicate you and put you in a padded room, but you’ll be mine…”

 

“You could have had anyone,” Pepper told him. 

 

It was true. As Obadiah Stane, he’d been in charge of Stark Industries and had all the money he needed. He could have had any woman he wanted. He wanted her and he knew that she didn’t feel the same. “I wanted you…”

 

“You didn’t have to--”

 

“Let’s face it, Pepper… You would have politely let me down. You would have given me some bullshit response about how you couldn’t mix business and pleasure…” Obadiah told her. He knew her. He knew especially how she was back then. “Let’s look at how hypocritical that response would have been…”

 

“Were you working with Aldrich Killian?”

 

“He loved you, too,” Obadiah told her. “You must just have that effect on all men… You’re Helen of Troy.” He smirked at her. “That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it?”

 

“There’s a hole in my memory that I can’t recover,” she whispered. 

 

Obadiah could hear sadness in her voice, but he really didn’t care. She’d brought all of this upon herself. She just needed to have accepted him and been on his side and things wouldn’t be so messy. “I guess it’ll just have to be my secret then…” he whispered. “Something I’ll take to the grave…”

 

“Please, Obadiah…”

 

“No.”

 

. . .

 

Tears streamed down her face and she was having difficulty flying the suit. “JARVIS, I can’t keep steady…”

 

“I’m here, Ms. Potts,” JARVIS responded immediately. “Shall I return you to Stark Tower?”

 

“No,” she whispered. She wasn’t ready to go back yet. Pepper tried to think of what was out here. Where could she go? She just wanted to be somewhere where she could just think. “There’s a church…”

 

“There are many churches, Ms. Potts.”

 

“A large one… I just want to land--”

 

“Laying en route to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral,” JARVIS announced and took over flight controls. 

 

Pepper closed her eyes and just let the tears fall. “Tony?” she asked JARVIS. She knew that he said that he’d alert Tony to her taking the suit, but he didn’t know how long of a head start she’d gotten. 

 

“He just matched your route and destination,” JARVIS spoke up. “ETA, five minutes behind you.”

 

“Thanks, JARVIS,” she whispered. The suit landed and opened to let her out. Pepper gratefully out and tried to suck in air. She’d not gotten all the answers that she’d wanted. Obadiah was in the hole in her mind...in the spot where the memories never formed. It wasn’t fair, all she wanted was to know what he’d done to her...or what Obadiah and Killian had done to her. They were the only ones who had the answers that she wanted. That she needed. 

 

She walked to the edge and looked down for a moment before looking out at the city lights. Pepper wondered if things would ever feel like the had or if this would always weigh on her. It really had been like breaking a dam. There were so many memories, so many emotions, so much worry, and one hole that would never be filled. Pepper wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed before she heard Tony land behind her. She didn’t acknowledge him though. She was just so overwhelmed and she really didn’t want Tony to see her in the state she was in. 

 

“If I’m supposed to talk you off the ledge, I’m not good at that sort of thing,” he said. 

 

Pepper smiled to herself, but didn’t turn to him. “I’m not going to jump.” She was sure that was what it looked like, but it hadn’t even crossed her mind. She just was enjoy the air and the city lights. She wondered if JARVIS had informed him of where she’d been. That she’d been to see Obadiah. If he’d scanned the suit and found out if she used anything besides flight. That wasn’t her, she really wasn’t about the violence, which was why it was so hard for her to have Extremis in her. She didn’t want to be a weapon.

 

“You know,” Tony said. “If you wanted a suit...you could have told me… I would have made you one… JARVIS could have made it any color…”

 

“I just needed air…”

 

“And you saw Obadiah.”

 

“I had questions.”

 

“Did he answer them?”

 

“Not really,” Pepper told him. “He did everything because he wanted me and he knew he couldn’t have me… He knew exactly what I would have said and called me a hypocrite…” She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know what to think...or do… I know that we made Natasha and Clint promise not to tell Fury, but if it helps him to make sure that Obadiah get put away, then I don’t care! I can’t live knowing his out there… You and I are a wreck, Tony!” She turned to look at him. “And it’s my fault…”

 

“No, it’s not.”

 

“He called me Helen of Troy…”

 

“You’re worth fighting for, Pep…” Tony told her. He moved closer. “I guess I just know how to do it the right way…”

 

Pepper eyed him and smiled. “I’m pretty sure I fought for you…”

 

Tony opened his mouth and then shut it again. “Does this mean I’m Helen of Troy?”

 

“Not unless they changed the myth and they were trying to kill Helen,” Pepper told him. She stopped and thought for a moment. Tony had distracted her and she had to admit that she loved him for it. It had kept her from worrying about what Obadiah had done and the missing hole in her memory. She closed the distance between them and hugged him tight. “I love you,” she whispered. 

 

“I love you,” Tony replied quietly as his arms held her tight. 

 

“We’re going to be okay,” she whispered and she knew it was true.

 

“I know.”

 

“And you’re going to make me my own suit and figure out how to get Extremis out of me.”

 

. . .

 

“Done and done,” Tony told her. He would do anything that he had to in order to keep Pepper and to make life for both of them easier. “But we’re also going to have to do damage control,” he pointed out. Obadiah Stane had ended up ruining both of their names as far as the public and the company were concerned. Tony was more concerned about the company. He’d screwed up his public image plenty of times. That could be repaired easier than the company.

 

She ran a hand along his cheek. “Who are you and what have you done with my fiance?”

 

“Wait…” Tony said confused. “I didn’t propose--”

 

“But you’re going to…”

 

Tony grinned. She was right. He just hadn’t gotten to it. There was a whole list of things to do, though, before he even got to that point. “Are you sure you don’t want to just elope?” he teased. Sometimes it never seemed like they’d ever get to the point where he could propose, they could be engaged, and get to the point where they could get married… Pepper deserved the happily ever after.

 

“We’re not running away to Vegas,” she told him seriously.

 

“Sir, incoming…” JARVIS interrupted.

 

Tony had his faceplate snap down and he took in the readings on his HUD. “Pepper! Get to the forty-four!” he yelled. He turned himself, so that he could ensure that she was protected. “Do you have an analysis, JARVIS?”

 

“The scans confirm that the incoming previously unidentified suit is the same as the one that appeared at Stark Tower on--”

 

“It’s Stane,” Tony said, effectively cutting off JARVIS. All he cared about was Pepper being okay. “You in, Pep?”

 

“I’m in,” her voice filled his helmet. It was music to his ears.

 

“You should head back to the tower,” Tony suggested. He knew that Pepper wasn’t familiar with the systems and she’d voiced not wanting to be a weapon. He didn’t want to put her in that position now. He was sure that he could at least hold off Stane’s Iron Monger until SHIELD arrived to contain him. At least Tony hoped that SHIELD would contain him.

 

“I’m not leaving you,” Pepper argued.

 

“Pepper--”

 

“Tony, I’m staying.”

 

And he knew he couldn’t argue with her, especially not with the Iron Monger setting down right in front of him. He just hoped that JARVIS would help to keep Pepper safe. He’d try his best for what he could do, but he still wasn’t sure if he could keep Pepper from being in line of fire. “JARVIS, make sure that SHIELD knows where we are...and that Stane’s here.”

 

“Already done, Sir,” JARVIS replied.

 

“Are we just going to stand around staring at each other, Tony?” Obadiah asked with a laugh. 

 

“We’re not here to fight--” Tony started to argue. Before he might have been the person to shoot first, but he had too much to lose now. He was going to play it safe. He was going to be the bigger person and he just hoped that he could do that long enough for Natasha and Clint to show up. 

 

“Pepper made the first move,” Obadiah pointed out. He held out his hand and sent a blast at Tony.

 

It pushed him back, but Tony didn’t feel threatened. Tony took a step forward, taking back his ground. “Do that again and I’ll have to respond in kind,” Tony warned as he held up his hand ready to use his repulsor. 

 

“Diplomatic now?” 

 

“We don’t want to fight,” Tony lied. He wanted to fight. He wanted to actually kill Obadiah Stane with his bare hands...but that wasn’t going to happen. He knew that he had to do this the right way, as hard as that was. His blood was boiling just thinking about the fact that he couldn’t take justice into his own hands. It was the right thing to do, though.

 

. . .

 

Obadiah couldn’t continue to control the suit. He didn’t know what exactly it was. He’d sustained enough hits to take his armor’s durability down to ten percent. His limbs felt numb and heavy. The suit was out of control. He didn’t know if the systems were fried or malfunctioning, but he knew he wasn’t going to remain upright for much longer. He saw his opening to at least cause some more chaos before he couldn’t move in his suit any more. 

 

Taking the opening, he lunged himself towards the suit he knew Pepper was in. She was in a grey and silver suit while Tony was in one that more resembled the red and gold that was the trademark for Iron Man. He purposely fell onto Pepper, taking her down underneath him. He flipped up the faceplate of his armor and he found himself having a hard time breathing. 

 

“Help me, Pepper,” he asked.

 

“Get off me!” she yelled back at him, her voice being amplified through the suit she was in. He couldn’t see her face, her own faceplate still hid it. 

 

“Please…” he begged as he realized that it wasn’t just his limbs he couldn’t feel, but his torso as well. He felt like he was being weighed down by a building and his vision was blurring. “Please...don’t let me die like this…” He felt like he was choking for a minute, but then was able to breathe again. “I know I haven’t gone about things correctly… You probably hate me.. But don’t do this… Don’t let me die…”

 

Pepper was trying to push him off, but he knew that she wasn’t going to get him to budge or at least budge much. 

 

“Pepper… You know I’d be better for you...for the company...I only want what’s best,” he rambled on. His words started to blur like his vision. He was just barely holding on. “Pepper…” he begged again and then suddenly a coughing fit overtook him. Obadiah found that he really couldn’t catch his breath and the blackness finally overtook him. 

 

. . .

 

Pepper sat on that church top and wondered if their lives would ever be closer to normal. It wasn’t the suits of the battling that was hard, it was when people came after them. Obadiah Stane had worked beside both of them for years. Tony’s parents had trusted him and he’d betrayed all of them. It was just hard to fathom that you had to be weary of the people closest to you. She couldn’t image Happy turning on them and trying to kill them, but that’s still what it felt like after all these years. It made you wonder if you could really trust anyone.

 

Obadiah had done horrible things. That’s what it came down to. It wasn’t just to her, but it had been to Tony as well. She didn’t know where they were going from here. The future was unclear and it didn’t seem bright to her. 

 

“How are you?” 

 

Pepper turned just enough to see that it was Natasha. She’d kept her distance. The suits were parked in one area and she’d known that SHIELD had showed up, but she’d made it clear to Tony that she needed the space. She was shaking and she actually didn’t know how she felt. Pepper turned to look back out at the city lights. 

 

“I don’t know,” she whispered. 

 

“I think Tony’s afraid of checking on you,” Natasha told her. “Which is why I’m here.”

 

“Is he dead?”

 

“Stane?” Natasha asked, but then answered. “They’re loading his body for transport now. Director Fury is having a story put together right now, which should help you and Tony with Stark Industries.”

 

Pepper just nodded. “We appreciate that…” She looked over her shoulder again at Natasha. “He was working with Killian… He’s been out for me, Tony, and Stark Industries all this time…” Her voice cracked and tears started to fall. “And I keep thinking it’s my fault… He said that he wanted me… That he’d done all these things because he couldn’t have me…”

 

Natasha walked right up to her, took ahold of her upper arms and stared at her. “The nightmare is over. Obadiah Stane isn’t going to touch you or haunt you anymore. You need to believe that. You’re the only one who can do that. You are and always have been, Tony’s strength. You might be his weakness as well, but you are always what keeps him going. He needs you. The company needs you.” Natasha stared right into her eyes the whole time. “You’re Pepper Potts. You’re stronger than the whole world thinks you are. Prove them all wrong again.”

 

Pepper knew that Natasha was right. She had to shake this. Everything that had happened was in the past. She and Tony couldn’t live there. They needed to live in the present and dream for the future. “The future’s all that really matters,” she finally whispered. “And Tony and I are going to be okay,” Pepper said with determination and tried to be confident. She reached up and wiped the tears from her own cheeks. 

 

“Let’s get you to Tony,” Natasha said and wrapped an arm around Pepper and led her away from where she’d been standing for Pepper didn’t even know how long.

 

“He’s going to propose you know,” Pepper said with a smile.

 

“He was supposed to do that back after the expo,” Natasha told her with a returning smile.

 

. . .

 

Things hadn’t gone back to ‘normal’ overnight. Pepper hadn’t expected it to. It was pretty close though. They’d moved back into their suite in Stark Tower and hadn’t returned to the sub-basement since. It was nice to be able be able to feel like she could breathe again and actually be outside without fear. 

 

“You know you’re late,” Tony spoke up the moment she stepped out of the elevator.

 

Pepper smiled and sighed. “I texted you,” she told him. “There was traffic.” Though Obadiah wasn’t someone who could hurt her any longer, Pepper had decided that she still needed to talk to someone about the things that she’d remembered. Tony had given her all the space in the world and had let her set the pace for pretty much everything. He was incredibly sweet like that. Though talking wouldn’t make any of it go away or wipe the slate, it did help her with coping. 

It helped to remind her that she wasn’t a victim.

 

“You could have called.”

 

“You could have left your worktable or kept your phone nearby,” Pepper told him as she approached him. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head against his back. “What are you working on?” 

 

“A request.”

 

“Oh? I didn’t think you took requests,” Pepper said and peeked over his shoulder. His response had definitely piqued her interested. “Ah, you haven’t forgotten,” she said with a smile and hugged him tighter. Tony was working on a suit, a suit for her. 

 

“You asked for no weapons...at least nothing that’s blatantly one,” Tony said. “So, I’m trying to take all of that into consideration. Though, having the Extremis still might have helped me feel better in case you ran into some trouble.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” she told him. “I’m not going to go out there and save the world...I’ll leave that to you.” It had been two weeks since Bruce and Tony had come to her with a extraction process. It had taken some time and it had been painful, but the Extremis virus had been scrubbed from her system thanks to them and those at the Baxter Building. It seemed like everything was going their way. 

 

“You know I just worry…”

 

“I think it’s pretty much decided that we both worry too much…”

 

“I don’t think that’s always a bad thing,” Tony told her. “But, I’ve been thinking… I’ve been thinking that maybe we should rebuild in Malibu.”

 

“I thought you liked it here,” Pepper said with a little bit of worry. He turned in his chair so that he faced her, her arms remained wrapped around him. 

 

“Manhattan is definitely the city,” Tony told her. “And I’m getting a little overwhelmed and sick of the day to day here… If you love it, then I’ll make it work… But let’s face it, Malibu is like living in the country compared to here.”

 

“I do miss it,” Pepper told him. 

 

“It’s going to take at least a year probably for construction,” Tony said with a sigh.

 

Pepper slid so that she was on his lap. She stared at him and knew what they had to do. “New York was where you were raised… This place was where your dad made his legacy… Maybe Malibu is where we make ours…”

 

“I love when you talk like that--”

 

“Because I’m agreeing?”

 

“That too,” he said with a smile. He leaned in and kissed her. It was brief, but still loving. “I love you. More than anything.” 

 

She smiled contently. She loved these moments that they shared. They were beautiful and she knew that he was so honest in them. “I love you...more than the stars in the sky…”

 

Tony looked very concerned all of the sudden. “Wait… Like all the stars? Or just the ones we can see from here?”

 

“All of them,” she told him with a laugh.

 

“Okay, I feel better…”

 

“What are we doing for dinner?”

 

Tony kissed her quickly again. “Dinner out… I even made reservations. And there’s a surprise…” He paused for a moment. “It’s not a ring.”

 

“Of course it isn’t…” she told him and then kissed him. Pepper really didn’t care if they ever got married. It would be nice. They’d both changed so much that she was certain that things would just get better if they were married, but she could understand if it still scared the hell out of Tony. What would really change? Her surname for legal purposes? How they filed taxes? In truth, it wasn’t a lot. The only thing that she really cared about was that they continued to stay together. She might be his anchor, but he was her rock. “I guess I may just have to beat you to it and propose myself,” Pepper teased. 

 

“I can’t tell you what I’d say if you got down on one knee,” Tony teased back.

 

Pepper continued it. “Who said I needed to be on my knee?”

 

“Would that mean that I would take your last name?”

 

She laughed and she just was just content. Living in the present did produce beautiful moments. Pepper just hoped that she and Tony had millions of them to fill their futures with.

 

. . . 

 

The End


	2. Post Credits Scene

Natasha walked the halls of the facility. Sometimes working for SHIELD made her sick. This was one of those times. She was keeping secrets from people that should know about where she was. Per Director Fury’s orders though, she was sworn to secrecy. She just hoped that this never came back at her. 

 

She was thirty five level underground. It was a secure facility. It actually housed two other facilities above them, they made for good cover. Who would ever suspect that a secret cryogenic prison lie under the mountain that housed NORAD? Up above, they ‘tracked’ Santa at Christmas...while down below, they kept all of the world’s worst villains in a sort of iced sleep. Natasha honestly didn’t know why they were all alive, she could only see bad things coming from it, but she had to trust in something...in Fury...at least most of the time. 

 

“Right this way, Agent Romanoff,” one of the workers said. 

 

Natasha followed and as she watched, she took in the names. Some of them she recognized and some of them she didn’t. She wondered how long they’d had the facility in place. How long had they been housing the world’s most horrible people? 

 

Marko, Caine.

 

“I don’t understand why Fury sent you down here, Ma’am.”

 

Lipchitz, Gilbert.

 

She was sure that he was just making small talk, but she didn’t think it was right for him to question her orders. She humored him anyways. “The director just wanted to ensure that Stane had been transported in the correct manner and that he was definitely in cryogenic storage,” Natasha summed up. 

 

Killian, Aldrich.

 

“Well, here he is,” the guard said as he motioned to the pod. 

 

Natasha stopped and looked at the name plate first. She’d really begged for this job. Fury had originally had no intentions of sending anyone, but she’d felt like it was her duty. She’d felt responsible to know for sure that Pepper wouldn’t have to relive any of her nightmares in the future as far as Stane was concerned.

 

Stane, Obadiah. 

 

She looked up and took a long moment. It was definitely the Iron Monger. It brought her a lot of comfort, but at the same time...she wished that Fury had just let him die. He’d been practically dead when he’d made it to the carrier. She didn’t think it was fair to Pepper...or Tony to keep them in the dark about this. Not only was Stane housed there, but Killian was his neighbor. Who else was down there that harbored a vendetta against Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, or any of the Avengers? Was any of it really worth it?

 

“Good work,” she finally said. Natasha turned and took in a deep breath as she took in the long row on either side of her of cryogenically stored villains. She just hoped that there would never be a day that came where those who had caused so much horror saw the light of day. Natasha headed down the long hallway and kept her head down. She didn’t look at any of the other name plates. She didn’t need to be haunted any further by what was lurking down there. “I just hope that we’re doing the right thing…” she whispered to herself.


End file.
